My first (and only) race to date was the London Marathon 2 years ago & the support I got and generosity of everyone that gave was hugely inspiring. It also meant that when it had finished I knew one day I could do something like it again. Well, 2 years late and I'm back, only this time it's going to be a little harder (wouldn't be fair to ask you to sponsor me if you or I know I can finish - where's the fun in that?!) and it's a lot more personal......  

The hard bit - Time Magazine recently put the Sahara Race second in its top ten most challenging world endurance competitions. It’s a 250-kilometer race across the Sahara Desert

The really hard bit - I will be running on sand dunes in quite ridiculous temperatures.

The 'well now its getting silly' bit - I will have to carry everything I need to survive until the end - food, equipment, clothing - even an electricity source if I want to power my i-pod! 

The 'don't tell the wife and new baby' bit - I am paying for ALL of the costs (flights, entry fees etc); any and all money donated will go to Lupus UK to fund their research work and nothing else.

The 'kick him while he's down' bit (& I think this is the worst bit) - at the outset I was part of a team - unfortunately I will now be going it alone.......

The personal (and slightly serious) bit - Quite obviously only an idiot would even think to try this so why do it? Well, luckily, I'm an idiot.... I'm actually running to raise money for Lupus UK. Lupus is an incurable, life-threatening, immune system illness that an estimated 50,000 people suffer from, one of whom is my little sister Clare. I wont go into all of the detail here (check out their website if you want to find out more - www.lupusuk.org.uk) but I will say that it's a horrible illness (it puts running in a bit of sand into perspective), it has a huge impact and sadly there is nowhere near enough funding available for adequate research into treatments or even a cure. 

Your bit - 

So in order to make this all worthwhile I need to raise a cart load of cash (or I might as well have given the entry fee to Lupus UK and stayed in bed!). Without begging, I need your money. Whatever you can give:

- if you can only manage £500 that's OK, you can give anonymously

- if you want to add a bit more interest (and help motivate me even more) I would love a few interesting bets - after all, I have no idea if I can do it either!! 

I would also ask forgiveness in advance if I hound you over the next few months.....it's all for a good cause!!

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: LUPUS gets your money faster and, if you’re a taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.