Welcome to my fundraising page, offering you this once in a lifetime opportunity to sponsor me to run this Year's London Marathon!

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UPDATE: Marathon? LonDONE!

Last Sunday, Cathy and I took on the challenge and did it! It took us 5:31:18 to complete the marathon - which was outside the time we were both hoping for. Hitting the wall at mile 18 was tougher than I anticipated, and 3-4 miles of walking ensued. Had we kept pace, we were on for a 4:50 time. That said, I kept my main aim of finishing with a smile on my face!

It started rainy, but it quickly cleared up with light sunshine for most of the day. The atmosphere on the day was amazing, especially from everyday Londoners who lined the route. A big thank you to those of you who turned up to cheer on the day - your support was really overwhelming.

I've uploaded some of the photos from the day on this page and will update it with any more I find.

All that's left to say is a big thankyou on behalf of Help the Hospices for your support with this. There were certainly times during my training and preparation where I didn't think I would make it this far. I'm incredibly touched by the words of encouragement, support and sponsorship that helped me to complete this great challenge.

If you were holding out for pay day, or to see if I *actually* completed it (!) then this site will still be accepting sponsorship for the next 3-4 weeks. Anything amount, large or small would make a big difference to Help the Hospices.

Now - for the red wine and ice cream, and the running shoes have been well and truly retired!

Thanks,

Matt

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UPDATE: 21st April - 4 days and counting!!!!

Months of training later, I'm days away from the big run - 26.2miles, this Sunday. Since getting my place in the Marathon confirmed last year, here are some of the fascinating facts along the way!

+ Since I started training, I've lost about 30lbs or 13.5kg - according to those at work, some of my suits look mlike my Dad's!!

+ I've gone through a pair of shoes!

+ I've spent an inordinate amount of money treating my knees with physio, otrthotics, fancy shoes, etc. It seems that I have proven that the Loucks frame is indeed built for comfort, not for speed!

+ I've trained over 100miles in lots of different countries - rain, snow, wind (but not enough sunshine!)

+ I've re-discovered my love of Jelly Babies - for energy, obviously.

+ I'm averaging 10:40/mi - so aiming to do the marathon in less than 5 hours

At the time of writing this note, the total is nearing 60% of my target, which I'm really delighted about. Thanks to all who have donated so far! I'm really grateful for whatever you can donate it will all make a difference to Help the Hospices.

As my focus shifts to Sunday, all support would be much appreciated. I'm runner 40146 and will be running in a yellow Help the Hospices running jersey. Give me an e-mail if you're coming along and I'll put you in touch with some of the friends and family coming to support me on the day. 

Oh, and for my sake, please pray for scattered clouds. I will be. No-one likes 5 hours running in the sun!!

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WHY THE LONDON MARATHON?

Many people have asked: "Why the Marathon, Matt?" Good Question.

I had an epiphany last summer, and determined to hit (some form of) peak physical fitness before 30, I signed up to the Marathon on a bit of a whim. Everyone knows you have to apply for many years in a row before they actually give you a place. 5 years before you get guaranteed a place in some cases. 2010 was supposed to be my warm-up. My dry run.

Alas, the lovely people at Help the Hospices called me at the end of the summer to tell me that I had been successful and hoped that I had been busy training (!). Well.... about that.

I'm now in the 70-day countdown to the Marathon and my preparations have been going well. For those of you who know me, the best preparation in my book is buying the right equipment for the job. Base layers, running gloves, iPhone apps and lycra shorts (!) later, my training has been stepped up in the past few weeks.

I'm really proud to be running for Help the Hospices - a charity really close to my heart. If a loved one you know has benefitted from the service and unparalled care Hospices offer, I'm sure you'll agree that they truely offer something unique and incredibly valuable. Help the Hospices offer services to support hospice and palliative care professionals as they support their patients - and your donation will help them continue to do so.

In the UK, £1.4million is spent on Hospice care every day. Of this, only £447,000 comes from government sources - leaving Hospices to raise the remaining £949,000 per day.

Thanks for your support!

Matt

A note from JustGiving:

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 and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.