Hi and Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page for my Great North Run Challenge 2014.

 As some of you will know I am 38 year old, overweight and a bit crackers.  What you may not know is that I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (diet controlled) a year or so ago.  You also may not know that my brother was recently diagnosed as type 2 diabetic (insulin dependent) and has to self inject twice a day.

 I was diagnosed type 2 diabetic (my blood sugars were slightly above the norm it seems) at the end of 2012.  A year on and I am trying to change the habits of a life time.  I can say I have done almost everything to make sure my lifestyle has not been healthy, over eating, eating all the wrong things, occasional binge drinking and generally finding as many excuses not to exercise properly as I can.

 However it is time to change things round.  In 2013 I was referred to the Gateshead Dietician service and to their Gateway to Health Scheme (G2H).  I have been going for 12 months now and the staff and others that attend have provided great support and education into changing my life around thus far, but it needs to go further and this seemed like an ideal opportunity to push myself into it.

 I have set my time for the race at 3 hours (that’s a brisk walking pace really) but I would love to be at the point in September, aged 38 ta-boots, to be able to run the 13 miles.  Now I am a practical man, I know that moving 19 stone of loose lard at speed over 13 miles (and not in a car) is not going to be easy, but it is not impossible.

 So my challenge was to complete the race and raise awareness of an ever increasing threat of diabetes in the UK however I have been caught by the running bug and have now also signed up for a few more runs into the bargain. so the new challenge is to have completed all 4 runs and raise awareness of diabetes. 

My runs are in the following order:

13 July 2014 - Great North 10k

18 July 2014 - Northern Front Runners LGBT 5k

16 August 2014 - Gateshead Trail 10k; finishing with

07 September 2014 - The Great North Run (The main event).

 Now for the hard sell.  I have pledged to raise £350 for Diabetes UK to get into the run, but I have set a target of £1,000, because I want to push myself there too.  So if you can spare, even just a few pence, it would all go towards the total I have set.  Every penny counts.  Also if you are a UK tax payer, then please gift aid your donation.  This means an extra 25p in every £1 goes to the charity from the tax man.

 Thanks for reading this and for your support and sponsorship.  I will be the one at the finish line looking slightly bemused and wondering what just happened.

 Dave

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