I have watched the London Marathon for many years and thought what a wonderful experience it must be to take part in such a great event. Now, in my 40^th year, the time has come for me to fulfil an ambition.

Although a marathon novice, I have been running with friends, for fun, for the last two years. We completed the London Moon Walk in May last year which was a fantastic achievement and hope that the Virgin London Marathon will be as enjoyable. With only 14 weeks to go until the big day we are stepping up our training.

The charity that I have chosen to support and fund raise for is MEDICS. It is an accident and emergency doctor service - The Mid Essex Doctors Immediate Care Scheme -which operates under the nationwide "BASICS" organisation. MEDICS Doctors are called out by ambulance control centres to provide emergency medical intervention at road traffic accidents, airport/ rail emergencies, agricultural/industrial accidents, fires, leisure injuries and medical emergencies.

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 and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Thanks for helping me raise funds for this worthwhile charity and for supporting me in my run.

Love Kirsten x