On September 22nd I will be embarking on my biggest challenge yet - a 273km race running through the desert from the Grand Canyon to the Grand Staircase. To make it even more challenging, it is a self-supported race (i.e. I will be running/hiking/crawling with a backpack containing all my food, sleeping bag etc.) and a third of the course is across soft sand and dunes. Needless to say this is a huge step up from a marathon and my first ultra attempt so it made sense to mark the occasion by running for a very worthy cause - Demelza Children's Hospice.

This is charity close to the hearts of my family. My cousin's beautiful little girl Keira lost her battle shortly before her 4th birthday and both Keira and her family were looked after by the amazing staff at Demelza. Please dig deep and help me support this fantastic charity.

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.