6 years ago my Mum was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of oesophageal cancer. This obviously hit her and our family very hard. The treatment she received  was incredibly debilitating and I could never have imagined how emotional it was for both her and our family. Thankfully she has been free from cancer for more than 5 years, I will be forever grateful for the constant research into treatment of this cruel disease. By no means was my mum the only person close to me that has either suffered or lost their fight to cancer.

This is a disease that touches us all in some way.

So...as I turned 40 last year ( I know, hard to believe )  I needed a challenge. Swim the English Channel, Climb a mountain, cycle across a continent or run a marathon. Considering I hate deep water, have vertigo and look terrible in lycra a marathon it was to be.