For those of you frozen in a state of incredulity I will first confirm that this is not a joke. I, Robert Mitchell Greenfield, being of sound mind and less sound body, do actually intend to haul all my 14.5 stones and both my size 15 feet around the entire 26.2 miles of the London Marathon. Furthermore, should I manage to raise the princely sum of £10,000 or more, I have agreed to don a Gangnam Style Tuxedo (see pic) and bounce over the finish line like PSY's distant, mal-coordinated cousin. 

Should you have been unlucky enough to have engaged in any form of physical activity with me that didn't involve a golf cart you will know that this undertaking promises to be my Everest. Despite being a lover of sport, I had given up on the idea of challenging physical exercise many Dominoes Pizzas ago. However, when my mother suggested I might like to run the marathon and fundraise for Scannappeal, I was at once reminded of the fantastic work they do and also inspired by the indomitable faith that only a mother can have in her son.

Scannappeal is a charity that is very close to home for me in more than one sense. Based in the Buckinghamshire area I grew up in, my mum has devoted much of the past 15 years supporting this worthy cause. Knowing the incredible work she, her fellow volunteers and all those involved in Scannappeal do I felt duty bound to repay her faith (and perhaps prove many of you wrong).