I am 45 and slightly overweight and not as fit as I could be. However, I can get up and put my trainers on and shuffle round the block whenever the mood takes me - something that is denied to far too many people, including my friends' daughter Poppy Kitto. I don't want Poppy to be the poster child for a disease and I don't want to be part of a narrative that defines her by her condition. But I do want to be part of a narrative that sees her and anyone else affected by mitochondrial disease given a better chance at recovery. It's a long road and someone has to run it - so it may as well be me.

10 million people in the UK suffer from diseases in which mitochondrial dysfunction is believed to be involved, while every day in the UK a baby is born who will develop mitochondrial disease. The disease is debilitating, there is no cure and lives are cut far too short. The Lily Foundation's ultimate aim is to one day find a cure for mito. As the UK's leading charity dedicated to fighting mitochondrial disease, our mission is to support people whose lives are affected by the condition, raise awareness and fund research into its prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Please support my London 2020 challenge and together we will make a difference.