This is my first marathon, in my 3 year running journey, which started when my then 9 year old son showed an interest in doing a triathlon after watching GB in the Olympics. He wanted me to do it with him, rather than just support. I said, people my age (48) with 3 slipped back discs, don't start doing triathlons..... he said, why not..... I thought, why not....I made my first triathlon (Warwickshire Super Sprint, Sept 2014) as promised, before my 50th birthday (by a week) and the rest is history..... Now we compete regularly (OK, I compete, he wins them....) and we have decided to dedicate this another huge milestone to a very good friend, Sloth, who lost his very rapid fight against Adrenocortical Adenocarcinoma (Cushings Disease) in his early 40s, in February this year.

Sloth was everything I wasn't. He was in a brilliantly happy relationship with Pippa, could fix anything on a motorbike and no doubt lots of other stuff, was superbly patient with my son and myself on a once in a lifetime trip (for us) on the back of my ER5 to South of England and France.... never an impatient look or word when we were determined to wreck the trip for the whole group, trying to cope with a big heavy machine and at times trying to break it as well :-/..... He also dedicated his life to helping rescue dogs. Between him and Pippa, I lose count of the numbers they took into their home, from the UK and from abroad, fixed the little broken souls, found loving homes for the ones that they could, and gave security and forever love to the ones they couldn't.

Adrenocortical Adenocarcinoma is a very rare disease in people. No doubt Sloth had very good care in his illness. But his legacy went to Islay Dog Rescue, which him and Pippa worked very closely with for many years and I shall dedicate my first marathon to them, in memory of a very special friend who was a huge fatherly figure for my little man that trip. Islay specialises in dogs that others will not take on, and accepts the challenges to rehome into non traditional homes that others can't be bothered to consider..... at the end of the day, it would be a very sad world if we're only accepted if we're traditional and follow all the rules of society......

I also dedicate this run to Toffee, my Shetland Sheepdog, 27.09.1997 - 25.08.2010, my little rock in a very difficult few years of my life. Most people knew him as Trestus Little Michael, in his many achievements, even against the Border Collies, in the competitive Obedience world. He broke many records, made me many forever friends, made enemies because he wasn't the traditional looking dog of the breed (so how dare he win more than the show ones....), left legacies in his similarly amazing offsprings, many of them qualifying into the top obedience classes.... Test C and Ticket, and brought up the many dogs I had after him, protecting his pack including my son born in 2003, supporting the puppies and never showing anger at anyone on 2 or 4 legs, in his life..... But the most important thing to me was how he taught my son to love dogs, and his nonstop support for me through 2 marriage breakdowns, when things went wrong in the Game of Life...... Just as with Sloth, I lost Toffee to Cushings.... so my run will be dedicated, not just to these 2 very special beings in my life, but to fight this nasty disease and hopefully one day, we'll win......