So in a moment of monkey madness (after seeing how much i now resemble an elephant) I decided to stick my neck out, like a giraffe and have decided to run the Colchester Zoo Stampede half marathon on the 9th September .I have only attempted a run like this once before and you can see from the photos i was in much better shape (ignore the bandages that was just a cover up incase i was overtaken by someone in fancy dress) with no training this is a frightening prospect but i wanted to help two causes close to my heart.

The first cause i will be running for is in memory of my Grandad-In-Law who died earlier in April of this year of pancreatic cancer and as a result only got to meet my 1 year old daughter, his great grandaughter a handful of times the time period from being diagnosed to passing away was only about 6 months and to see him deteriorate so quickly was shocking. For those that knew him he was the funniest and cheekiest guy i had ever had the pleasure to meet and he could really light up a room, seeing him was always an unforgettable experience and I would like to do what i can to help other families who are affected by this cancer by donating half of donations to pancreatic cancer uk who specialise in support and research of this horrible disease.

The second cause i will be donating half of the donations too is the nephew of a good friend of mine, Presley. Presley is an inspiring little boy who was born with a condition called 49 XXXXY Syndrome which is an extremely rare syndrome that only affects approx 1 in 100000 males Signs and symptoms of 49,XXXXY syndrome can vary but may include learning difficulties or intellectual disability; low muscle tone; hypogonadism; infertility; delayed growth; distinctive facial features; and a variety of birth defects that may affect the heart, bones, brain and/or kidneys.

Presley and his parents Steve and Danielle are currently going on a journey together which is inspring to see (you can follow it yourself here https://www.facebook.com/PresleyMJourney ) but involves loads of one to one physiotherapy with Presley that i also imagine is also very costly so my aim is to raise some funds so they can carry on with his development at this early stage in his life.

if you would like to donate to any of these causes please feel free to do so and i would be extremely grateful I, haven’t given myself long to hit my target but any pennies i can offer i know will be a massive help to both causes.

p.s if i hit my target before the date of the run, whoever makes the largest total donation can choose any animal for me to complete the race dressed as. So please donate as much as you can and let me embarrass myself!