Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I have decided to take part in the BUPA Great North Run 2013 - a 13.1 mile half marathon from Newcastle to South Shields. Despite having never taken part in long distance running before, I am hoping to complete the run in under 1hr40, with a target time of 1hr30.

My motivation for the run is to raise as much money as possible for Heart Research UK - a charity with the aim of preventing deaths due to heart-related illness.

Over the past few years several members of my family have suffered from heart problems, most recently my Grandma, who was hospitalised for 3 days due to problems with her heart. She is set to undergo life-saving surgery early in September. It is thanks to the efforts of charities such as Heart Research UK that surgical techniques have been developed to treat those, like my Grandma, who need it most.

The charity continues to fund research into the prevention, treatment and cure of heart disease. Your donation will go towards this great cause and help thousands of families like mine.