The challenge is finished for now (not quite complete, but more on that later!) I have been completely overwhelmed by the support and encouragement from friends, neighbours, family and even complete strangers! I can't thank everyone enough! We have completely smashed the fundraising target, so we now are not only able to fund the kindergarten for 45 children for a year, but we are also able to offer 8 residential boarding places for older children. 

That is 8 lives that we are changing, 8 children who will be taken from a life of poverty and given the tools to turn things around for themselves and their families - if they have them. If they have no family (and many don't) they will have the opportunity to grow and develop in a nurturing and supportive environment. That's all because of you and your generosity! 

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I've taken on a pretty tough challenge - 8 marathons in 8 days. It had to be tough to match the challenge which the Yoga Mission faces every day.

Founded by my friend, Lucy, the Yoga Mission is a unique and pioneering charity which is initiating enlightened social and economic change through education. It runs the International Chandramauli Trust, a school offering a high quality education to the children that society forgot, a school that takes the very poorest children in the very poorest state of India, and gives them the tools they need to turn their lives, and the lives of their families, around.

The Challenge:

I will be running 210 miles over 8 days, which is approximately the distance from London to Manchester. I start with the Virgin Money London Marathon on Sunday 26th April, and finish with an 'ultramarathon': The Three Forts Challenge, on Sunday 3rd May. I will be running a self-organised marathon for every one of the six days in between. It's really going to hurt. I know that, yet as I sit here and type this, I realise that I really don't have any idea. I can't imagine it yet. It's probably like having a baby. Uh-oh.

Anyway. What is going to get me over the finish lines, all 8 of them, is your support.* Whether that support comes in the form of a donation, or in any of the 24 other ways detailed in my blog**, it is very much appreciated. It all makes a difference!

*Your support will of course help, but there will be other necessities such as ice baths, compression tights, 4000+ calories worth of food a day, beetroot juice and energy gels. Are you jealous yet?
**http://tararuns8in8.wix.com/8in8

The Charity
Lucy gave up a lucrative career in London 15 years ago, and travelled to India in search of a more fulfilling existence. She was struck by the number of children who had slipped through the state education system and ended up on the scrap heap, sentenced to a life of poverty from such a young age. Lucy decided to do something about it. She rented a room and started teaching these children with the aim of returning them to mainstream school. In  the space of a few years, this one room has grown into the International Chandramauli Trust, a school in Varanasi spread over five floors, which has 150 pupils on its books, including 29 residents.

What makes Chandramauli special is its philosophy. The holistic model of education not only provides children with the educational tools they need to further themselves professionally, but gives them an identity and a purpose by rooting them in their history and instilling in them the basic decent values of their own Vedic culture. They leave with a profound sense of both where they have come from, and where they want to go – most staying in their own community to help effect the change. Chandramauli takes in the very poorest children, the outcasts that society forgot. They educate them, house them, clothe them and show them how to lead a life with dignity and respect, and how to play a valuable role in a changing society.

The Target
I am hoping to raise £5000, which, amazingly, will be enough to open a kindergarten for 25 children and run it for a year, including uniform, books and daily hot meals for the children. A little goes a long, long way in India. No donation is too small.

There are loads of ways to show your support, but the quickest and the one which will involve you getting the least sweaty is to donate! Anything you can contribute is very much appreciated, and you can be sure in supporting such a small scale charity, that every penny goes directly to where it is needed.

To read more (including 24 ways to support the challenge without having to donate), visit my blog at : http://tararuns8in8.wix.com/8in8

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. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.