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In case you hadn't realised...I didn't actually chicken out of the race, but completed it, in the not-totally-shameful time of 1hr 52mins. It was an absolutely beautiful day: blue skies, smiling people and lots of friendly Geordies.

Weirdly enough I loved every minute of it (even if my glazed look in the photos may tell another story), and am seriously considering taking part next year, if they'll have me, as the whole weekend was an amazing experience.

Thanks for all your support, financial or otherwise: your generosity was, for those of you lucky enough to know my Dad, well-founded.

And now you can go and check the photos of the wrecked Izzard, as promised.

Jon

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A huge thanks to everyone who has taken the time to support my efforts this Sunday - your words will spur me on to the finishing line...though hopefully not after the bloke doing it in the diving suit.

Will thank you all personally when I see you, but for now just look out for the wrecked guy in blue on the telly.

Jon

NB. I started this page only two weeks before Motor Neurone Disease claimed my Dad's life.

In spite of this quite fundamental update to my page, I've decided to leave my original plea for sponsorship below, since firstly, it took me a long time to write, and secondly because it serves to underline just how aggressively devastating MND can be.

Don't worry: I'm still going to be running...

Dad passed away at the family home on Saturday 25th July. He was together with family and friends and died peacefully in his sleep. In many ways this was a release, sparing him from the next stage of changes the disease was soon to bring. Clearly, not all those suffering from the illness are able to bow out on their own terms, and I would therefore ask you to consider this if you are thinking about sponsoring me, that their lives might be made as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.

Thank you for your support,

Jon

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Yes, it’s another of those annoying JustGiving links. Inspired by impressive performances of friends who did the London Marathon this year, but in lieu of running the full 26 and a bit miles (as my knees would fall off), I’ve signed up for this year’s Great North Run at the end of September.

This should signal a selection of responses. Odds are you’ll either:

a) Shut down Internet Explorer and pretend you “never received any email about sponsorship”

b) Immediately set up your email account so that all future messages from me are sent to Junk Mail (if you haven’t done so already)

c) Get out your credit card and start spending indiscriminately

Whilst I appreciate that options (a) and (b) are tempting, I’d urge you to veer towards (c) – it’s all for a good cause, I promise! I’m going to be running for the MND (Motor Neurone Disease) Association – a body which funds and promotes research to understand what causes MND, how to diagnose it and, most importantly, how to effectively treat it so that it no longer devastates lives.

My dad was diagnosed with MND about a year ago and has spent the past 12 months coming to terms with the challenges the disease has brought about for both him and my mum. Given that MND affects a relatively small number of people in the it's vital that people support the Association’s efforts, in order that it can continue to offer support, guidance and advice for people affected by the illness, and those close to them.

Hopefully, if you’ve made it this far down my spiel, you may well be wavering towards option (c), so please give it a go and pledge some money now – you can always go for option (b) afterwards.

Thanks in advance – I look forward to sharing the photos of the broken man I will be for the foreseeable future after the event.

Run Izzard, Run

Run Izzard, Run

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