After the birth of my first daughter in 2007, I decided to take up running to get healthier. My confidence & ability grew and after a string of 10km and half marathon races my new found passion for running inevitably led me to the start line of the London Marathon in 2010. From the moment I crossed the finish line that year I was hooked and I returned to complete the London Marathon a further 6 times!

Sadly, an injury picked up at my last London Marathon in 2015 ended my marathon streak. Determination got me across the line that year but my body was broken and ended my marathon career....or so I thought. 

Even though I haven't ran the race since 2015, I have travelled to watch various friends & family run the race every year since. The London Marathon has remained very much a part of me and last year (possibly under the influence of too much Pimm's!) I decided that I would return to run the race again in 2020, a decade after my first. 

Sadly, Covid-19 had other ideas and with the cancellation of the race I had to complete the VLM 2020 virtually.....along with many other people. In fact, I am now joint holder (with 37,995 of my friends) of a Guiness World Record for competing in the world's largest virtual marathon. Take that Covid!!

So that's my story and now I need your help. I always run the race for a good cause and this year is no different. This year I'll be running for Muscular Dystrophy UK, a cause that's even closer to home than usual because I'll be lining up at the start alongside my friend Scott, whose son Alex, has the disease. My training is well underway and going well but I'm not really marathon shaped and this doesn't come easily so knowing that I'm helping a great cause really spurs me on.

After the charity fundraising disaster that was 2020, please help me to support Muscular Dystrophy UK to hit their £250,000 London Marathon 2021 target. A target which could help fund over 5,581 hours of ground-breaking research! Muscular Dystrophy UK is the charity for 70,000 people living with muscle-wasting conditions and are making a difference today, providing vital information and support to help people live as independently as possible. 

Thanks for reading and for your kind sponsorship.

Andy Smullen

Proud member of #teamorange.