UPDATE:

This coming Sunday (Oct 1st) I will be running the Cardiff Half Marathon with 25,000 other lost souls...

As anyone will know me, I don't really do running but I have actually made an effort (by my standards!) by doing a bunch of parkruns, a couple of longer distance trail runs, some club nights - and crosstraining with lots of football, biking and walking on top.

I've improved my 5k PBs from a starting 33:21 down to 26:08, which isn't fast by any standards and I'll be pleased if I can finish in under two hours because I know I will find it pretty tough going!

Also, if you're interested, you can track my progress on the day through the 'Cardiff Half' app, or via http://rtrt.me/919/track/RK5PCEWF

Info about the Cardiff Half: http://www.cardiffhalfmarathon.co.uk/

Below is a reminder of the reasons why I'm running in this marathon and fundraising for Neuroscience and Mental Health Research at Cardiff University...

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In exactly six months’ time I will be running my first ever event involving the word ‘marathon’ in its title. In this case only a half one and not a full one! The most I’ve ever run in one go before is 5km, or 3.5 miles – or only a quarter of a half of a marathon! It is therefore not a coincidence that I am posting this fundraising page on April Fools’ Day!

But I digress, as this is not a joke…

I have decided to sign up for the Cardiff Half Marathon to fundraise for Neuroscience and Mental Health Research at Cardiff University as I am an alumnus of the university and know that it is doing a lot of ground-breaking work in these fields and that 100% of the donations will be going directly to funding this ongoing research. I think that now is also a particularly important time in light of the future funding uncertainties for universities in the UK due to Brexit.

My main reasons for supporting these fields is that I’ve had first-hand experience of how devastating and distressing the effects of these disorders and diseases can be on loved ones and families in general and particularly remember how dementia struck down my godfather shortly before he died. I also believe that the funding of, and provision of mental health care in this country is woefully inadequate, and hope that this modest contribution can even in some small, tiny part, help to alleviate it. And, let’s face it, I’m not getting any younger and could well need help in the future myself!

As many of you who know me will realise, completing even half a marathon will represent quite a major effort on my part and this is the first time I’ve done this sort of thing before – which means I’ve never asked before! ;)

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

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