For a lot of the time when I was growing up, my mum was ill. It wasn't all of the time but when it happened, she'd be ill for a few days.

We used to say she'd had a turn.

Her body would give up. She wouldn't be able to move or speak properly. It was hugely distressing for her and for all of us. She needed to rest in bed but it took several days for her to return to her normal self.

We didn't know exactly what was wrong and what was causing it. Occasionally it happened after days of exertion but sometimes it just came on randomly.

At some point she was diagnosed with ME.

What is ME? Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome is an illness affecting many different parts of the body, and which can last for a long time in some people. Different people experience different combinations of the symptoms, and they can also vary in severity between individuals.

At the time not a huge amount was known about the condition, but we did know that there was no cure.

The advice was to reduce her physical activity. As a keen tennis player and cyclist, this wasn't the news my Mum wanted to hear. But she did it. For a while, she used a mobility scooter to get around town. She cut down on sports. She tried not to over-exert herself. It reduced the likelihood of a turn, but they still came every now and again.

Several years ago, my Mum had some advice from a doctor that a specific diet might help to reduce the symptoms she'd be experiencing. A couple of years later and it seems to be working. The turns dramatically reduced in frequency and she's able to live a much more active lifestyle.

However, ME/CFS affects an estimated 250,000 people in the UK. Each of those people experiences different symptoms and they vary in severity. Much more knowledge and understanding is required before a reliable cure can be found.

That's where ME research UK comes in.

ME Research UK exists to fund high-quality biomedical research into ME/CFS – to find its cause, to develop effective treatments, and ultimately to discover a cure.

Thanks wholly to the support of donors, to date they have provided over £2 million of funding for more than fifty research projects around the world, but there is still much more to do.

If you would like to support my efforts to raise money for this vital research, please consider making a donation. This is my first marathon so if I can make it over the finish line, I'll consider it a success.

Thanks in advance,

Pete