Imagine having to run roughly a marathon every day, in 40c / 104F heat across the unforgiving scorching sands of the Sahara Desert, for 7 days in a row. With a 10kg backpack on your shoulders containing all your clothes, equipment and food for the week. Imagine sleeping every night on the stone-riddled floor of a flimsy tent during a sandstorm in near zero night-time temperatures. With rationed water. And the threat of SNAKES & SCORPIONS. And then surviving (hopefully) the challenge only to have to run the London Marathon the following weekend. You would have to be a brainless lunatic to do this. Who in their right mind would do this?

(Mum, stop reading now)

You've guessed it: me.

I will be doing all of the above, including surviving - hopefully, to push my body and mind to the absolute limit in order to raise some money for the wonderful charity that I am supporting: Bloodwise. Bloodwise funds vital research for all types of blood cancers, including Leukaemia, Myeloma, Lymphoma. All cancers are pure evil, but I am supporting Bloodwise specifically because my mother has worked tirelessly for this charity for the last 20 years. Two very close family friends have either had it and are fighting it again, or have lost someone to it; my inspirational mother and her friends have helped raise more than £1 million over the last 20 years. This is still nowhere near enough, so I must now do my bit.

PLEASE support me by giving whatever you can spare, I will dearly need the psychological support that your donation will give me while I am being incinerated alive every day.

If the above two challenges are not enough to convince you of the impending suffering I will experience, please know also that I will not be touching a drop of booze from January 1st until the day I cross the line in the desert for the last time. So please donate also for the 104 days that I will not be able to enjoy a gin and tonic, craft beer or glass of Malbec. This will be the toughest assignment of all.

Many thanks, I genuinely appreciate it and will think of you as I dodge my fourth scorpion of the day.

Jean-Marc xxx