A month after running the London marathon, Mark and Pieter will move up in distance for the London2Brighton challenge. Starting from Richmond in London and arriving in Brighton 100km (62 miles) later, the majority of the route is off-road, including the North and South Downs (https://goo.gl/f73Fkr). We'll try and have an attempt at the course record of 9h20m.

As part of this challenge we will be raising money for a very
deserving charity, Connect.

They were a lifeline to Mark’s friends John and Joanie Scott  when their daughter Sarah suffered a stroke in 2009 at the age of 18. This left Sarah with aphasia, that affects Sarah’s ability to communicate. Connect provided support and encouragement and Sarah was able to attend their drop in sessions to meet
others affected by aphasia and ease her feelings of isolation. 

Connect is a nationwide charity that runs befriending schemes, a counselling service, drop-ins and other specialist groups that are 'peer-led' by people who are living with aphasia, stroke or other long-term conditions.  They know what it’s like to live with a communication disability.

Helping people with aphasia reconnect with life, has been central to Connect's work. They are using their experience and knowledge of peer-supported opportunities to help others with long-term conditions.  See http://www.ukconnect.org/ for more information

Connect receives no Government funding to carry out their work.

• Every five minutes someone in the UK has a stroke

• One in three of those who survive stroke will be living with the communication disability aphasia

• Each year the number of people in the UK with aphasia grows by about 20,000

• One in six people will have a stroke in their lifetime and about a quarter of strokes happen to people of working age or younger.