When I was at secondary school I enjoyed cross country running.  Despite being really bad at it, my Dad always took me to my races, standing somewhere on the freezing course and cheering me on to the end.

In my late teens I started taking running a bit more seriously and completed the Great North Run in 2004 and 2005.  Again my Dad was there throughout my training and on the day to cheer me to the line, he himself having competed in many half-marathons in his younger days.

My Dad died of cancer in June last year, having been battling the illness for a couple of years.  I'd been wanting to start running again for a while, and I know he would have been greatly enthusiastic of me getting back into training for this great event. 

I ran for Cancer Research in 2004 and feel this is a great way to pay a tribute to my Dad, remembering the encouragement he was to me, whilst raising some money for a great cause.

Thanks for looking at my page, and I hope that you will feel able to help me reach my fundraising target in memory of a great man.

Jack.

P.S. If you're interested to know, I completed the Great North Run in 1:36:10 and 1:36:17 in 2004 and 2005.  This year I'm going for something under 1:30:00.