Story
<p>Hi! I'm Steve Young! You may remember me from such sponsored running events as 'Fat Bloke Runs Royal Parks Half Without Training Properly' and <a href="http://www.justgiving.com/porkchopsandwiches">'Clinically Obese Man Runs 10K in Weird Shoes for Charity!'</a></p>
<p>Yes, the rumours are true. I have a place in this year's London Marathon, running in support of Well Child as part of Team Simplyhealth (my employers and charity partner of Well Child); my thanks to both for giving me this fantastic opportunity.</p>
<p>Many of you will know of the effort I've been putting in to training this year because I've not stopped going on about it. Likewise, my desperate attempts to lose weight (if only so Greenpeace would stop trying to put me 'back in the sea where I belong') over the past 16 months, and of course, my ongoing battle with life per se. Here are the stats/factoids:</p>
<p>Current body weight : 79kg/174lbs</p>
<p>Weight lost 'by marathon training' : N/A</p>
<p>What? : Sewiously.</p>
<p>Distance run in training so far this year : approximately 300 miles</p>
<p>Weeks off training due to non-stop party lifestyle : 0</p>
<p>Weeks off training due to illness : 3</p>
<p>Hernias discovered during training : 1</p>
<p>Hernias operated on before race day : 0</p>
<p>I could go on. Head on over to my 10K page if you'd like to see some pictures of me in pain; maybe that will help persuade you to sponsor me.</p>
<p>Actually I will go on. It was all going so well and I got as far as running 20 miles in training before being struck down with a sod of a viral infection which put me out for three weeks. When I returned to training I'd lost what I estimate to be a month o a month and a half's worth of speed and stamina. It was soul destroying. As I write this I'm desperately trying to make up lost ground when I should be 'tapering' or something. I'd been hoping to finish in at least 4 hours 20 minutes, even ambitiously eyeing the magic (for me) 4 hour mark, but now I'll just be trying not to embarrass myself.</p>
<p>There will be pain. There will be suffering. There will almost certainly be tears. This summer… One man. One decision. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDjd-DMyDD0">One des-eye-errrrr</a>.</p>
<p>Well Child help seriously and chronically sick children and their families across the country. Amongst other things they provide specialist nurses to care for the children and offer respite to the families. A very worthy cause, that I'm delighted to be supporting, and I hope one that will prompt you to give generously.</p>
<p>Please give what you can. And yes, I'll be running in my <a href="http://www.vibrams.co.uk/pages/technology">Vibrams</a> :-)</p>