On Saturday October 30th this year, I joined about 1500 other runners to brave rain, wind, thunder, hail and a bit of sun to tackle the ups and downs of north Wales, in the 2010 Snowdonia Marathon.

With a total of eight miles of uphill running, it's renowned as one of the toughest marathons in Europe.

As I ran, I thought about the children who are so badly bullied that they cannot face school, and in some cases attempt or contemplate suicide.

And that's why I was running - to raise funds to get a special learning centre for bullied children set up in Reading, Berkshire. The Red Balloon Learner Centre will open next year and myself and colleagues now have a major drive to raise up to £75,000 to get it off the ground.

It'll offer a safe haven for the recovery of severely bullied children, where they receive full-time education in a domestic-style environment. The aim is to raise their self-esteem, get them back on the academic track and support their return to mainstream school, or entry to sixth form college, further education or employment.

Many thanks to everyone who spared some money, to ensure a child gets a further boost towards achieving their potential, rather than enduring torment.

I got round the course in just over 4hr 30 mins, coming 821st out of about 1300 finishers. It was a struggle at times but very much worth it.

For further information about Red Ballon Learner Centres go to

www.redballoonlearner.org.uk

             Many thanks for visiting my JustGiving page.               

                                  Jon