Thank you for visiting my fundraising page. It has always been my ambition to run the London Marathon and at the young age of 42 
, I hope to achieve my goal.
I am running for a worthy cause and hope to raise as much money as I possibly can. Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me. The Anthony Nolan Trust will receive your money faster and if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you. It doesnt matter if your sponsorship is for a small or large amount as it all really helps.
Ive plodded the streets for hours doing my training and have also given up beer and bread to help bring my weight down. Its been hard but im determined to succeed. So please sponsor me and many thanks for your support.
Phil
Training Timetable
In between the training runs that I do myself, I have entered other races to help build up to the big day. These are as follows:-
26/11/06 Marlow Half Marathon Time 2:26:29 (Hard hilly course -never again !!!!!!!!!) 
Finished Position 867 out of 1200 Entrants.
04/02/07 Watford Half Marathon Time 2:05:45 (Im getting fitter, so this was a piece of cake)
Finished position 1656 out of 2400. Knocked over 20 minutes off my time for Marlow also. Keep this up and ill WIN the London Marathon !!!
25/02/07 Basingstoke 20 miles Slight problem here. Chelsea have made it to the Carling Cup Final, so the only training im doing this day is the 09.35 from Paddington to Cardiff. Well I guess even hardened marathon runners can have one day off. - Did 22.5 miles on 24/02/07 as a training run, so not all bad and of course CHELSEA WON...COME ON YOU BLUES.
03/03/07 Training run - Managed 26 miles - I AM THE MAN !!!!
18/03/07 Ruislip 20 miles 
Sheer grit and determination at this one. Time 3:35:13. Finished 428 out of 550. Covered the first ten miles in 90 minutes, then picked up a very bad calf strain. No way was I going to give up and I made it just as a snow storm hit in the last half a mile. Seeing the physio today and hope to be fit for next week at reading.
25/03/07 Reading Half Marathon 
Another gritty performance. Thought the leg was better, but it wasnt. Also wasn't very professional the night before and had 4 glasses of red wine and a chicken tikka madras. Still got round though in a time of 2:11:35 and finished in creditable position 6896 out of 15000 runners. Lots of rest now and no more curry as after all this gruelling stuff, I need to get the leg fit for the big one.
01/04/07 Kingston 16 miles Good news and bad news. The good news is that my tendons are healing and I WILL BE FIT FOR THE MARATHON. Bad news is that Im still a bit sore in that area and im therefore having to withdraw from this race. Maybe ill have a cheeky curry saturday night after all (a low calorie one of course)
03/04/07 Training run set back with the tendons. Saw sports physio today who is on the case. He is certain that i'll be fit for the day. I will run whether im fit or not, so rest assured, everyone's sponsor money is safe.
10/04/07 Passed fit by the physio. training runs start again tomorrow morning..........YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
15/04/07 Chiswick 10 miles - Cancelled (Stupid idea putting on a race on an FA Cup day) - Chelsea in the semi final at Old Trafford. Going to do 10 miles on my own the day before. Come on you blues. WE WON AGAIN.
21/04/07 FINAL THOUGHTS - The nerves are setting in now. The hottest weather on record for a London marathon they expect (just my luck huh !). Anyway, I just want to thank everyone for all their support and for helping me beat my target. I hope to get over £4k by the end and with additional gift aid that will take it nearer £5k. Thats a fantastic amount of money that I hope will save some lives.
I started my journey nearly a year ago, maybe not fully believing I could achieve this. However, as the Adidas advert says (IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING)...I made a promise to everyone im running for and also in memory of my mum, that I put in writing on the adidas wall at London Expo. I promised that whatever pain I endure, I WILL FINISH. Make no mistake, I fully intend to be crawling up The Mall tomorrow afternoon.
Once again, thank you everyone.
22/04/07 THE FLORA LONDON MARATHON
YES I did complete the course and YES I am still alive. The heat was intense which made running very difficult. I saw many people passing out and it all contributed to a slow time. I was running past people at 15 miles who literally were walking the rest. The weather was that hot.
It cooled down a bit once I got to 15 miles, but by then the dehydration issue was a real concern and energy levels had been badly hit. My legs were fine though and kept me going. I waivered at 22 miles and was really wondering if I could have that last little push, but the site of my beautiful wife Nicky, my son Adam and my step daughter Bethany (all with Uncle Simon) gave me a massive boost that sent me on my way.
The support around the course was amazing and something I will always remember. The carnival atmosphere was something special and I thank all those thousands of people who literally carry you around the course. The feeling running up The Mall is something I will never experience again and im not ashamed to admit that tears were streaming down my face at the time.
I ran in 5 hrs 30 minutes and 11 seconds. Certainly not my fastest effort, but in those weather conditions, I dont care. I finished overall position 29171 out of 37500 runners (Position 21432 out of 24848 for my gender and position 3657 out of 10848 for my age group) and my claim to fame is that the big names such as Ethiopias Gebrselassie, Italys Olympic Champion Baldini and US former world record holder Khannouchi all failed to finish, which basically means that I BEAT THEM.
Anyway, I am a very proud man having achieved my challenge and I thank everyone yet again for their kind sponsorship. I would also like to thank Fiona Morgan and The Anthony Nolan Team for all their hard work and a special thank you to Scott Mitchell my physio, who got me past the injury and able to run in the big show.
I HAVE NOW RETIRED.
22/04/07 PM - Drinking beer and enjoying a Hamlet.
Only managed one and a half beers and one hamlet.......But its making the effort that counts.
