Friend: "Ok....what does that involve??"
Me: 100 miles in 28 hours
Friend: "Have you taken some f**kwittery pills??"

In January 2019 I was diagnosed with Parkinson's. This disease at any age, let alone 49, sucks. It is degenerative and there is no cure. Levodopa, the current medication has been around for over half a century and is eventually overwhelmed by the symptoms. 

Just after I was diagnosed there was a TV documentary about ground breaking research involving a protein which had to be delivered into the brain. The programme was mind blowing because of the amazing research but also the outstanding courage shown by the volunteers. I wasn't sure watching the programme whether I would willingly subject myself to the surgery that they endured. 

One of those volunteers was Tom Isaacs, who founded The Cure Parkinson's Trust. Unfortunately, due to unrelated circumstances Tom died in May 2017, but his legacy lives on through the activities of the trust, and also his book "Shake Well Before Use" which documents his journey around the coast of mainland Britain. A summary can be found here:

https://www.cureparkinsons.org.uk/Handlers/Download.ashx?IDMF=98f888a8-bd8a-43f8-9086-6944b5904c6d

The research goes on and still needs funding. So on the 5th September  (and not the 2nd May 2020 due to Covid19) I am taking part in the Thames Path 100, which as the name suggests is 100 miles along the Thames Path from Richmond to Oxford, and this has to be completed in under 28 hours. 

Unlike the abseiling I've done before, this is completely out of my comfort zone, and I'm not sure the Parkinson's will let me finish but I'm going to give it my best shot. I've got the long winter nights to look forwards to during long training runs and walks - and towards the end of a 100 miler it is a walk. I've got a crew to help me, although judging from their comment (yes, the one at the start of this ramble) they think I'm slightly unhinged. As if.

Any donation towards this research will be much appreciated, and please share this page to as many people as possible. 

And now the JustGiving blurb:

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

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. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.