Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I ran my first marathon, the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C., twenty years ago and got hooked on distance running (though I was a sprinter in university and never imagined running long distances). I live in Montgomery County, Maryland (USA) where there is an active running community. We run throughout the Washington, D.C. areas. I have run forty marathons, including two ultra marathons -- the JFK50 and Comrades in South Africa -- and numerous shorter races. I have made many friends through running

Of the six World Marathon Majors, I have run Boston, New York, Chicago and Berlin, leaving only London and Tokyo. Having been unsuccessful for several years in getting a London marathon bib through its lottery (over 400,000 applied for the 2019 lottery), I decided to run for charity at the recommendation of a good friend in London.

I am raising money for the Rugby Portobello Trust. The RPT focuses on education and mentoring for children and adolescents in a deprived area of North Kensington. Its offices are in the shadow of Grenfell Tower. RPT was chosen as the channel for distribution of aid after the 2018 Grenfell Tower disaster. I am proud to raise funds to support the excellent work of RPT and will be proud to run London wearing its bib. I welcome your support for this endeavor. 
Eric Melby