FINAL UPDATE!!

Well, I didn`t break 4 hours but I did finish!

I completed the  London Marathon in 4 hours 11 minutes 28 seconds (exactly). I definitely do not think I will be doing that again in a hurry but do feel enormously proud to have achieved what I believe is a reasonable time without stopping.

Thank you all  so much for supporting me in this endeavour. I can honestly  say that when things were looking bleak the desire not to let anyone down acted as a tremendous spur to keep going.

I literally could not have done it without you all.

Thank you.

For my next undertaking...

 

 

 

It seemed like a good idea at the time but then so did communism..

I have decided to run the marathon for the Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) Association.  The PSP Association is a small charity, of which I am a Trustee, that was started from scratch some 15 years ago by one of my oldest friend`s father, whose wife died from the disease. Before the charity was started very little was known about PSP although it has since been discovered that its incidence is probably the same as Motor Neurone Disease, its better known “cousin”.

PSP is a degenerative brain disease which affects eye movement, balance, mobility, speech and swallowing.  Over time PSP robs a person of the ability to walk, talk, eat, see and swallow, yet they usually remain mentally alert.  PSP affects people in their 40s and above, the average age of onset being 62. At present there is no cure and the disease is fatal.

           

Being a small charity all the money raised is directed towards particular research projects or palliative care for sufferers which helps to ensure that funds are targeted at areas where a real difference can be made. I am determined to try and raise as much money as possible as I believe that each pound raised helps bring nearer a cure for this terrible disease. My aim is to run under 4 hours which I hope you will feel is not a bad target for someone who is the wrong side of 50 and whose children are apt to refer to him as “old man” or even more endearingly “crazy old fool”.

I`ll show them.

Thank you for taking the time to get this far.  Any donation you feel able to give will be gratefully received. It will also make a real difference to many people.