Kate Barlow was a dear friend who died suddenly and totally unexpectedly in 2015 shortly before her 45th birthday from a rare and incurable heart condition. We both worked on our PhDs at Bristol University at the same time, and Kate later went on to direct the National Bat Monitoring Programme for the Bat Conservation Trust which monitors the population levels and conservation status of British Bats. Aside from bats, Kate also worked on penguins for the British Antarctic Survey where she was base commander on Bird Island, and was also the first woman to ever overwinter at the base. This Just Giving page is to raise money for the Kate Barlow Award, named to honour her memory, which provides grants to young aspiring scientists across the world to collect vital data on rare and endangered bats. It's administered by the Bat Conservation Trust and one award is made annually.

To anyone who knows me, I don't run, or at least I didn't. Now, because I've entered this stupid marathon and promised a whole bunch of people I'd do it, I have to. I'm aiming to do it in 4 Hours 30 minutes, or just finish, whichever seems most plausible.

Kate was great and amazing, and her untimely death still resonates today. This award lets some good prevail from her tragic loss.

And finally, the T&Cs...Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity. So there.