If you know me well, you'll know that I'm no stranger to marathons. I've done 11 to date, in London, New York, Boston & Chicago. Whilst living in Boston and training for the Boston Marathon, I had to endure freezing temperatures, record breaking snow totals, and icy sidewalks.. and now I live in the Caribbean, but I can honestly say that training conditions here are significantly worse!! If you've every tried running 85+ degree temperatures and 80% humidity, you'll understand. In fact, I vowed to never train for a marathon whilst living in Cayman Islands, as I thought I'd probably die! And then I signed up for the Chicago Marathon, which takes place in October. I optimistically assumed I could do the majority of my 'long runs' during my summer vacation, but I now find myself facing the prospect of at least four more 16+ milers on the island. Oh, and I've also signed up the Cayman Islands Marathon in December...'in for a penny' and all that...

So, I need some additional motivation to keep me going when I'm getting up at 4:30am on a Sunday in an attempt to avoid the sun's blistering heat, and when I'm trudging my way along the shadeless tarmac with my hydration pack rubbing holes in my sweat-drenched skin, which is why I'd like to dedicate my efforts to support East Meru Community School, a small primary school, located in a rural area of Tanzania, that my mum is closely involved with. Read more about this inspiring place here: http://www.eastmerucommunityschool.com

A little really will go a long way, so any donation you are willing to make, no matter how small, will be very gratefully received.

(EMCS is a registered UK charity - # 1168456)