Update 23rd April:

Please see updated photoes of the Marathon Day.

Ellen's story:-

"The Mini Marathon was a great day and I really enjoyed running the three mile route. In the U17s category I came 36th out of 250 with a time of 22 minutes 24 seconds which was 30 seconds quicker than last time. Thankyou very much to everyone that has donated."

 As for myself I enjoyed the first 18 miles then things started to get a bit blurry from mile 20 onwards.

I just managed to keep it together to just break 4 hours and finished in 3.59.15.

   I put this down to three things:- 

Firstly  the amazing support I had on the day.

Secondly saving  46 seconds ish by not stopping for a wee break but going baby style!

Additionally towards the end reminding myself that pain is temporary and quitting is forever ( my legs are still hurting incidentally-so am not sure how long temporary is? )

Thanks for all the support and the amazing amount of sponsorship.

Update 6th March:

Thankyou for all of you who have sponsored, for those that havn’t please move your arse! According to my wife she is unhappy as my arse is getting smaller due to the training I am doing. My knees are struggling although surviving due to the inhouse physio.

BREAKING NEWS- Ellen Rose Senior (photo attached) a county athlete and a family friend has been selected to run the Junior London Marathon. She has kindly volunteered to help out in raising money for this cause.

"My name is Ellen and I will be taking part in the London Mini Marathon, later in April. This will be my fifth time running, although this time I hope to raise money for a very worthwhile cause – the Lynda Jackson Macmillan centre at Mount Vernon hospital. After running the Moor Park 10 km back in September in aid of Lynda Jackson, I wanted to run the marathon as a further ‘thank you’ for the help and support they gave to a close family friend of ours. The mini marathon has always been a great day and so to be running the last three miles for a charity close to my heart will hopefully make the day even more memorable." Ellen Rose Senior 

20th January:

I am running the London Marathon on Sunday 22 April 2012 .

 For me running the London Marathon would fulfill a lifetime ambition. I also can guarantee running a personal best as its my first ever marathon. It is also the only one that I plan on racing!

I have started training and, although my son has set the bar high ( as he is thinking I should be aiming for a time of close to 2 hours15 in order to challenge for an Olympic place) - I am aiming to finish in under 4 ½ hours.

I also relish another opportunity, namely to raise money for a very worthwhile cause the Lynda Jackson Macmillan Centre at Mount Vernon Hospital.

My marathon story began by running a 10k in the summer in supporting my good friend James and his son Ally Cook and their ambition in raising a considerable amount of money for the Lynda Jackson Macmillan Centre. This centre is close to my heart as James’s wife Lyn was diagnosed with late stage cancer and pronounced terminally ill last year. Their story is setout in more detail at www.justgiving.com/JSCook.

Lyn had to spend considerable time at Mount Vernon and was wonderfully supported by LJMC. 

This centre provides support, encouragement, care and advice and helps with challenges that are faced with families dealing with cancer. I know from Lyn’s experience and my visits to the centre what a vital role this centre provides.

Unlike the larger charities this centre only receives one place for the London Marathon  every five years and 2012 is their year. I was fortunate enough to be selected to run on their behalf this year. I have never attempted before to raise any serious amount of money, but I am now attempting to raise £5,000 to support this centre so that it can continue to maintain its vital role.

Your help and encouragement will help me achieve this goal. Thanks for reading this.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.