"But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."     (Is. 40:31)

BRIEF UPDATE:  Thank you - I am truly humbled and amazed by everyone's generosity.  I had to deal with some major intestinal issues during the race and visited some very, very dark places.  Through the fantastic support from my wife Catherine and brother Nick, amongst many others, I managed to get back onto the track and finished with just under 92 miles.  A long way short of my goal - but having overcome some very significant difficulties.  Note:  do not try to run a 24hr race with D&V.

My nephew George has Down's Syndrome.

I want to do something extraordinary in order to raise money to help all people with Down's, and their families, lead full and rewarding lives.

I will be running the Sri Chinmoy Self Transcendence 24hr Ultra Marathon in Oct 2009.  This insane event is really quite simple:  whoever runs the furthest in 24hrs wins.  The winner of the 2007 event ran 147miles and the 2008 event saw an incredible 150miles + !

My training has been going well.  The highlight so far has been a win in the Crawley 12hr track ultra marathon with 75.8 miles - this bodes well for October!

My aims are:

1.  To raise £10,000 for the Down's Syndrome Association.

2.  To run over 140 miles in one day. 

My blog charts my progress towards these 24hrs of pain.  You can see it here:

http://beyondthemarathon.wordpress.com/

You can see information on the event at:

www.srichinmoyraces.org/uk/ultras

The Down's Syndrome Association website is at:

www.downs-syndrome.org.uk

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Down's Syndrome Association gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

So please sponsor me now!

If you would prefer to send a cheque, please make it payable to "Down's Syndrome Association" and send to : Tom Meldrum, 6 Sidmouth Road, Andover, Hants, SP10 2QB.  Please be aware that you can't gift aid your donation using this method.