Hi,

For those of you that dont know, I used to run. A lot. Effortlessly and quickly!  My first run was a 800 m race in 1981, in Germany, against other Forces schools in the area.  I came second and I loved it! Then at school in North Yorkshire and Derbyshire, I used to run up and down hills, in the rain, snow, mud.  I even ran the Pennine Way once (well as part of a relay team, running a section each day). I was a proper little "Forrest Gump" ....  But, i was always intimidated by "The Marathon".  It seemed so far, so difficult; it scared me!  So, WHY am I now running a bloody marathon?!!! Well, I am 40 this year, and I have often said (usually in the pub) that I would run one before I turned 40. 

 

But, there is more... My Uncle Steve died of cancer on 27 Jan 2009. I sat with him at home two days before he died, and we chatted like the old days...Then on 19 February 2009 my Grandad also died from cancer, at home. I was close to both, especially my Grandad, and it seemed right to apply some of the effort of the marathon to raising money for macmillan - a charity that has provided immense support to our family and many others dealing with cancer.

 

I am going to dedicate the last two miles of the marathon to their memory, along with a friend of Andrea and mine (Jamie Goddard) who also died from cancer last year.  I would be happy and honoured to add other names to this list, if you want me to; hopefully I can have a name for each mile of the run...

 

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

 

Alan

 

P.S. 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.