Great North Run 2: This time, it's personal!

After completing my first ever half-marathon at the Great North Run 2018 in 2:50:34, I'm going to attempt the same race again in 2020 (or 2021 even!) and try my best to record a new GNR PB while raising money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

I ran my last half-marathon in memory of both of my Grandmas to raise money for the British Heart Foundation, so I thought this time I'd run it in honour of Ellie's granda. Bex has told me just how much her dad Peter's MS affected their whole family while she was growing up, which had led to both her and her family all conducting various charity fundraising events for the MS Society over the years.

A couple of years ago, I also had to watch Bex go through tests for it herself and sit in the next room listening while she endured an MRI scan to see if she also had MS which, luckily, they said it didn't appear that she did. I remember sitting thinking about how much our lives would have changed in an instant if those results had shown up something different and not everyone will be as lucky as we were to receive the news we did that day.

Our girls have given Peter a whole new lease of life and he absolutely idolises them both - as well as our niece, Georgia - to the point that Bex and I don't even get a hello for a good couple of minutes when we go through to see him! Peter is such an amazing grandparent to them all and they'll grow up to idolise him as well, so it's only right that I pick the MS Society as my chosen charity for GNR 2020 AND 2021.

I had a couple of people jokingly tell me that, after my last Great North Run, they'd only sponsored me because they didn't think I'd actually finish it and they wouldn't have to pay up (they did.) I never officially gave myself a target last time - I wanted to get under three hours, but never said it out loud - but, this time, I'm throwing the gauntlet down to better my time and get branded an absolute failure if I don't manage to do so.

If you'd like to sponsor me, then I'd very much appreciate anything you can donate to this fantastic charity (make sure you add on the Gift Aid as well, if you can.)

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

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.