I am Will, an average 23 year old guy. In July 2016 I lost someone to Leukaemia who I considered a close friend and an inspiration, Alice Byron. This year I wanted to do what I can, for the charity who did everything they could for her. Before 2016 I had never run a marathon, not even so much as a half marathon. Experiencing the suffering cancer causes first hand has motivated me to push myself to my limits, as I believe it will still barely be a fraction of the suffering people like Alice endure without a choice. If more lives can be saved at the expense of one mans pain, it is an easy sacrifice.

In completing my challenges for the coming year, my feet will be met by over 800 miles of Mud, Tarmac, Savannah and Snow spanning 16 countries and 3 continents. I even found time to enter a couple of national ballroom competitions! For a full list of the events and dates, please scroll to the bottom of my story. To keep up with my progress and events, please visit my blog at www.williamash.co.uk.

Every donation is gratefully received and will all make a huge difference. For those of you aged between 16-30 who would also be interested in joining the 28 million people on the bone marrow transplant list, you can find out more here: https://www.anthonynolan.org/8-ways-you-could-save-life/donate-your-stem-cells. You only need to #giveaspit to potentially save a life.

Every day, Anthony Nolan saves the lives of people with a blood cancer or blood disorder. They do this by matching incredible individuals willing to donate their stem cells, to people who desperately need a lifesaving transplant. They also carry out cutting edge scientific research, fund specialist post-transplant nurses and support patients and their families through the transplant process and beyond. They won’t stop until they save the lives of everyone who needs a stem cell transplant. Every penny you donate brings them closer to that day.

Events:

Champions of Tomorrow National Ballroom competition, Blackpool - Placed 19/26
Gran Canaria Marathon, Gran Canaria - Finished 4:38.49
Thames Trot 50 miles - DNF/ 35 miles completed.
Portsmouth Coastal Half Marathon - Finished 1:44.35
Seville Marathon, Spain - Finished 4:23.16
Bath Half Marathon, Bath - Finished 2:05.22
New Forest Running Festival Day 1, 50km Ultramarathon, Finished 5:39.11
New Forest Running Festival Day 2, 10 miles, Finished 1:45.21
Intrepid, SAS-designed Obstacle Race, Completed.
Paris Marathon, France, Finished 4:36.12
London Marathon, England, Finished 4:24.36
Tough Mudder London West*, Completed 2/2
Toughest Mudder, Leicestershire, Completed 15 miles
Tough Mudder Midlands, Completed 2/2
Edinburgh Marathon, Scotland, Finished 5:18.03
Stockholm Marathon, Sweden, Finished 4:38.32
Tough Mudder Scotland, Completed 2/2

Big Five Safari Marathon, South Africa, Finished 5:20.53
Jolster Marathon, Norway, Finished 5:09.09
Tough Mudder Ireland, Completed 2/2

Wycombe Half Marathon, West Wycombe, Finished 1:51:22

Tough Mudder Yorkshire, Completed 2/2
4 Peaks Challenge (Slieve Donard, Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike, Snowdon) - Finished in 41 1/2 hours
Helsinki City Marathon, Finland, Finished 4:37.25
Tough Mudder South West, Completed 2/2
Guernsey Marathon, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Finished 4:27.10
Tough Mudder North West, Completed 2/2
Swim Serpentine (2-miles), London, Finished 1:12.12
Tough Mudder London South, Completed 1/1
Windsor Half Marathon, Windsor, Finished 1:58.21

Oxford Half Marathon, Oxford, Finished 1:43.56
Budapest Marathon, Hungary, Finished 4:19.08
Venice Marathon, Italy, Finished 3:59.51
Frankfurt Marathon, Germany, Finished 3:54.31
Vegas Night Marathon, Las Vegas

*All Tough Mudder events will be 2-day challenges, where I will be running the course on both Saturday and Sunday.