Picture the scene. It's March 2020. The world is going to hell because of Covid, we're stuck in lockdown and all events are cancelled. I've only been running since November 2019, and the first organised event I'd ever entered, the Sudbury Fun Run, has just been cancelled by the organisers. I haven't even done a Park Run.

My friend John Buckle emails me the day the organisers cancel the Sudbury event. His suggestion is more than a little daunting:

"Well, here’s a thought. Fancy a stiff challenge but with enough time to achieve it? How about you and I enter the Loch Ness marathon for September 2021? That would give us loads of time to get fit and give us something to look forward to. 2020 Loch Ness may not happen and it does not give us long to be comfortable with the challenging distance. 18 months lead in time should be fine."

John was a much more experienced runner than me (I hadn't even done a half-marathon at this point, I'd only just run 12k for the first time), so I was flattered by his faith in me but more than a little apprehensive. I didn't say no, but I'm not sure I sounded very enthusiastic either!

Tragically, John died in July of 2020 from complications arising from a cardiac event. We never even got to do a single run together.

Once the 'never again syndrome' from my marathon debut had passed, Loch Ness seemed like an obvious candidate for my second crack at the distance - so I can run the race that John never got to run. I'm sure knowing that it's something he wanted to do will help me along the way.

Once again, I will be raising money for the amazing Macmillan Cancer Support - which I'm sure everyone can agree is a very worthwhile charity that does brilliant work for cancer patients and their families.

This will be my last sponsored event for a while, so please dig deep!

Thank you, from me, from John's family and from Macmillan Cancer Support :)