On Friday 19th June 2009, I will be running in the 30th Nacht Van West-Vlaanderen 100K Ultramarathon.  The race takes place at night, looping around the city of Bruges. Scheduled to start some time after 7pm on Friday, I hope to finish by sunrise on Saturday.

Why I'm Running

Partly for the challenge but also to raise money for Breakthrough Breast Cancer in the UK. Breakthrough is dedicated to fighting breast cancer, a disease that has affected both family and friends.

If you would like to know more about the fantastic work that Breakthrough Breast Cancer does in the UK, please visit their website here: http://www.breakthrough.org.uk/who_we_are/index.html

What's An Ultramarathon?

According to that reputable source Wikipedia, an ultramarathon is “any sporting event in which the participant runs further than the traditional marathon distance of 42.195 kilometers (26.21875 miles, 46,145 yards)”.  In this case, the ultramarathon in question is 100km, or 2.37 marathons.  That's roughly the same distance as running from London to Portsmouth, or Brussels to Eindhoven.

Fancy Supporting Me?

Donations can sometimes seem a little impersonal.  I would like to express my gratitude for your generous donation by giving you something in return.  Donate 10 euros / 10 pounds via justgiving.com and I will  give you the opportunity to nominate a song for my race-day iPod. So, if you fancy subjecting me to a 15-minute jazz clarinet solo somewhere around the 75K mark, this is your chance!  Just type the name of your song (or other audio file of your choosing - audiobook, podcast, comedy sound effect, etc.) into your donation message. I will, of course, provide you with proof of purchase.

How's training going?

It's... going.  Training can be a little tedious - unsurprisingly, there haven't been many volunteers willing to keep me company on my training runs...  here's where I've run to so far in an attempt to liven things up a little: Laeken, Machelen, Waterloo, Louvain, Grimbergen, Nivelle, Pont-a-celles, Gosselies, Jumet, Charleroi.

Is this wise?

Not really. There's a pretty lengthy list of unpleasant physical ailments associated with ultramarathon running... cardiac arrest, heart rhythm disturbance, hyponatremia (serious sodium deficit caused by over-hydration), chronic dehydration, blistering, tendinitis, shin splints, heel spurs (calcium deposits in the heels), diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, chronic fatigue, mood swings / altered mental state, torn, pulled, strained, sprained muscles.   I’m most excited about the “altered mental state”.

How does Justgiving work?

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Breakthrough Breast Cancer gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

Thank you for taking the time to read my sponsorship page.  If you would rather not make a donation but would like to get involved with Breakthrough Breast Cancer in some other way, just follow this link: http://www.breakthrough.org.uk/ 

David