<p><!--StartFragment--><span style="color: #1c1c1c;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial Bold;"><strong>"If a man aspires towards a righteous life, his first act of abstinence is from injury to animals&rdquo; -</strong></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="color: #1c1c1c;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial Bold;"><strong>&nbsp;Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy (1828-1910) &nbsp;The First Step</strong> <br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br />On Sunday 13th.September, I will be lining up with thousands of other runners in Moscow's Red Square to take part in the 2009 Moscow International Peace Marathon. &nbsp;<br />&nbsp;<br />Since I first donned my running shoes back in 1979, I have competed in 56 marathons across the globe, clocking up over 50,000 miles in racing and training, which is more than one and a half times around the world.&nbsp;&nbsp;I take part in the London Marathon each year as a sponsored runner, raising much needed funds for The Mayhew and I am now aiming to do likewise for The Mayhew&rsquo;s animal welfare&nbsp;work in Moscow. &nbsp;All the monies raised from the individuals and businesses who sponsor me will go to fund animal welfare programmes providing food, shelter and veterinary care for homeless animals rescued from the streets of Moscow. <br />&nbsp;<br />The Mayhew Animal Home &amp; Humane Education Centre, to give The Mayhew its full name, was established in 1886, in the words of its founders, &nbsp;&ldquo;for the benefit of the lost and starving dogs and cats of London so that they should have a sanctuary from the cold inhumanity they are being dealt outside.&rdquo; &nbsp;&nbsp;It is a sad reflection on how little&nbsp;the world has progressed in some respects since the 19th.century that the homeless animals struggling to survive on the streets of Moscow today are subject to the same &ldquo;cold inhumanity&rdquo; as the unfortunate animals who inspired the Mayhew&rsquo;s founders all those years ago in Victorian London.<br />&nbsp;<br />When I cross the finishing line in Moscow on September 13th., after running through 26 miles (42Km) of Moscow's streets, I will undoubtedly be exhausted after my exertions but soon after I will have some food and be able to rest and recover.&nbsp; No such&nbsp;relief exists for the homeless animals who live on the streets of the Russian capital </span></span></span><span style="color: #1c1c1c;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">for whom every day is a&nbsp;marathon&nbsp;struggle just to survive&nbsp;starvation and disease.&nbsp; </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="color: #1c1c1c;"> <p><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <p><span style="font-family: Arial;">Please support The Mayhew as it strives to alleviate the plight of Moscow&rsquo;s homeless animals by sponsoring me in&nbsp;my&nbsp; Moscow marathon run and help us to help them in their hour of need.&nbsp; Thank you.<br /></span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </span></p> </span></p> <!--EndFragment-->