Hi all,

I just wanted to send a note to thank everyone for their support and sponsorship for my marathon effort that took place on Monday.  So far over £330 (nearly $700 in Aussie terms) has been raised for the Red Cross, with somewhere around £70-£100 still due (plus anybody who has been appropriately inspired to throw in a little money still has time to do so...).

For those paying by the mile, and those just keeping score at home, I did manage to finish all 26.2 miles (which, in case you don't know, is a FRIGGIN' long way!).  It's almost half way from Townsville to the Burdekin to give the Aussies a reference, or about five miles further than Belfast Lough across to Scotland).  The last couple of hours were agony, and nearly four days after finishing I'm more or less capable of getting up off the couch unassisted.

In case you're wondering, I don't have any plans to take on another marathon any time soon (or ever, in fact), so you're safe from being hassled for sponsorship money (at least from me) for the time being. 

So thanks to everyone for contributing and those who called, texted and emailed to wish me luck (and especially Gerry!).  It really meant a lot, especially in the last few trudging miles.

If you still want to chuck in, please click the "Sponsor Me Now" button.

Thanks again!
Al.

==========================

G'day everyone,

Have you ever had one of your mates or work colleagues hassle you for sponsorship for their kid's swimathon, telethon, dogwalkathon or whatever other crap they can come up with?  That always used to annoy the hell out of me, and now I regret to inform you that I have become one of those people.

May 5 is the Belfast City Marathon (http://www.belfastcitymarathon.com/).  Now, I admit that in all likelihood no-one receiving this email has ever heard me using the word "marathon" without the words "beer drinking session" following closely on its heels, but there's a first fime for everything.

I am actually competing in said marathon (no, seriously), and I thought that as long as I'm suffering around the streets of Belfast I might as well do some good for somebody.  The official charity for the marathon is the Red Cross, and unless you've been living under a rock you'd know about them and all the good they do around the world helping people whose lives have been destroyed in the aftermath of natural and manmade disasters.

So here's my pitch.  If you want to help out and donate some money to the cause of my pain, then you have a couple of different options.  I set up a secure website on JustGiving (you're on it now!) where you can punch in an amount.  Alternatively you can pledge an amount per mile/kilometre that I complete within the time limit.  I've actually done some serious training for it, so budget on at LEAST 15 miles/24 kilometres when you're organising your bank loan.  If you're going to do the pledge thing then just email me back with what you're planning on donating and I'll chase you up for payment afterwards (and if necessary one of my associates from west Belfast will pay you a visit...).

Anyway, thank you for your time.  If you can spare a little cash that would be tops, and I'd really appreciate it.  If you enjoy watching people suffer and are too much of a tight-arse to give the Red Cross a fiver (I'm in for forty quid and six hours of pain), well I'll guilt you every time I see you for the rest of our lives.

Thanks,
Al.