*** FINISHED! 6 hours and 25 seconds (3 minutes of which was a loo stop 🤣) Thanks to everyone who has donated 🙏 ***

Hello, I’m Martin, and thanks for visiting my JustGiving page.

In October 2021 I will be running the London Marathon for the first time (in fact, first time for any marathon). Being born in the east end of London, I know many of the marathon streets well - but I doubt that will make much difference to my finish time. I am hoping to get round in about 5 hours 30, but I’d rather enjoy it than bust a gut to do so, so don’t be surprised to find me a lot slower! If I can finish ahead of the guy driving the street sweeper that will be a result 👍

I was lucky enough to get a ballot place and have decided to use it to raise funds for Alzheimer’s Research UK who are looking for a cure for dementia, hugely prevalent in the south-west of England where I now live. Funds raised will go towards activities such as gene mapping, brain scanning and laboratory studies. 

I’ve seen first hand, the effects of dementia both in my own family and also through my work as an NHS volunteer driver taking dementia patients to daycare. I was introduced to the charity via partner organisation parkrun - I am currently event director for our new local weekly parkrun event. 

I’ll also be using my board and card game store All Good Meeple, to raise awareness of the importance of keeping an active mind as you get older. This year I will be encouraging people to try out some of the wide range of games which have won awards from Mensa and other organisations for being an excellent brain workout.

In the months leading up to the marathon you will be able to follow my training progress on the Strava feed below. Keep scrolling down to see the latest runs and photos, and you can also see how I get on with the other challenge I set myself, of running 2021km in 2021. I managed 2020km in 2020 which proved to be a useful focus for my own mind after a difficult few years personally. There will be a mix of road and trail runs, solo plods around the lanes and droves of Somerset, and also some 10ks and half marathons entered as a member of the Lonely Goat Running Club.

Any donation, however small, would be much appreciated. And do say hi if you see me out on a training run, or give me a wave if you spot me on the course in October. 😀

Many thanks

🏃‍♂️ Martin xx

PS 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.