Ive decided to run my third and probably last marathon at the ripe old age of 42. Two reasons for wanting to do this, is firstly, to try and break the 4 hour barrier (My best attempt so far is 4 hours 45 minutes. Which means I'm going to have to run nearly 2 minutes a mile quicker). Secondly, and more importantly, I've decided to run another marathon to raise as much money as I can for two charities that have a lot of meaning for me.

Anyone thinking that I cant run the Las Vegas marathon in under 4 hours, then I have a challenge for you. If you sponsor me £200 and I fail to beat 4 hours, I will personally match your donation for this great charity. Anyone feeling brave enough?? 

Of course I could have run any marathon. But after already completing the London marathon, and the New York marathon with my mum, I felt that my last marathon should be somewhere just as special. It took me precisely 10 seconds to choose the Las Vegas marathon.

For anyone wanting to sponsor me, please bear in mind that I will be working my socks off in training and on marathon day to break 4 hours. I have succeeded in most things I have done in my life up to now, but I think this challenge will definitely be the hardest (it's not easy for a fat bloke to run 26.2 miles).

The marathon is on the 12th November, so I'm already in training. For anyone wanting to come and watch, the beers are on me after!!!

My mum was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2008 and she met her surgeon, Mr Ashraf Patel, who throughout her treatment was re-assuring, supportive and very caring, but it wasn’t until later once her treatment had finished that she became aware of how lucky she was being treated at Princess Alexandra NHS Trust and by Mr Patel who had set up the charity in 2003 to raise funds for clinical trials. My mum was a patient on a clinical trial that proved so successful that it has now become standard treatment at Princess Alexandra Hospital for suitable patients.

I then became aware of all the fund raising carried out by Ashraf as my mum and dad became part of his fund raising team, helping to raise thousands of pounds for the charity and I know the research funded by the charity enables suitable patients to have access to drugs, not available on the NHS, as part of clinical trials free of charge.

Over a period of 14 years an increasing number of women have received life saving and life prolonging treatment for which no other funding is available from the NHS or other sources other than the charity in the Essex and Hertford catchments area.

Some of these trials have been rolled out across the country benefiting all suitable patients diagnosed with breast cancer.