Almost three weeks have passed since the race, and all donations collected and cheque sent off to The Calvert Trust making the total I've raised £565.00. Thank you to everyone who donated and sent messages of support and encouragement, it really made a huge differences especially during the last few miles.

As expected, the course was stunning, winding through the trees, climbing hills in a series of hairpin bends and then dropping back down again, each climb or descent preceeded by a bright little sign saying 'STEEP INCLINE' or 'STEEP DECLINE'. The weather was kind, flat calm at the start with a bit of a breeze picking up by the end and most the time the sun shining, reflectng of the water and brightening up the day.

I'd set myself the target of breaking four hours and was pleased to have six minutes to spare at the end. The experience was hugely enjoyable, very tough but the sense of achievement made it all worthwhile. I've wanted to run a marathon for the last 20 years and having done it, want to do it again.

I found this piece by The Calvert Trust on the web and felt proud to be one of the 'fast guys' - I never thought I'd qualify!