My name is Kerry Pickard.

In June 2014 I was 38 years old, 13 stone 8lbs, size 18 and the thought of running a marathon totally freaked me out.

However, during a routine medical appointment I was informed that I was considered ‘obese’ which devastated me. Instead of going home and wallowing in a pack of biscuits though, I decided instead to go for a run. And I haven’t stopped running since!

Two years on and I’m now 40 years old, 9.5 stone, size 8 and have a total of 1288 miles under my belt (a much smaller belt!)

It’s fair to say that I’ve totally been bitten by the running bug. So I’ve decided to put my new found passion to good use and raise some money for a good cause along the way. So in 2017 I will be taking on my biggest challenge yet and running the Paris Marathon.

It was a tough choice to pick a charity to support because I believe all charities are a worthy cause. But it’s important to me that I raise money for a cause that is close to my heart to help keep me focused and motivated whilst I’m pounding those 26.2 French miles out.

So I’ve chosen to raise money for All Saints Kirkby Overblow PTA who this year are raising funds to develop an outdoor educational Wildlife Area for the children. This is the school that both of my gorgeous kids go to (Joshua aged 8 and Izzy aged 4) so I have an obvious vested interest. My kids have been an immense support to me on my weight loss and running journey so this felt like a nice way to give them something back. Also, being a famer’s wife, we’re a family who is big on being outdoors so this is a project that I’m really excited about supporting.

I’ve never taken on a run of this scale and this will be the furthest distance I’ve ever done so it’s going to be a big challenge physically and mentally. Any amount big or small that you can donate will act as a massive motivator for me and push me on towards that finish line.