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Never having visited Barcelona before, I thought now would be a good time to visit the famous city and take in some of the sights and sounds - what better way to see a city than to run a marathon, yes all 26 miles and 385 yards through the heart of it. 

On the 17th of March - I will be setting out on a sightseeing tour, the type of tour I hope I never have to do again - I will be taking part in the Barcelona Marathon - I do hope I am able to appreciate the city but I fear that my arduous mission will be a little distracting. Nonetheless I do look forward to visiting the Catalan capital.

I will be supporting Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

In 2010-11, I spent a year studying in Syria in the lead up to conflict that we see raging today – I was fortunate in that I was able to leave the country. Within two years the conflict has escalated exceedingly quickly, to think that the towns and cities that I visited, the friends that I made and the places that I lived in would be torn apart by such brutal armed conflict was virtually unimaginable.

MSF has entered Syria and is operating undercover hospitals providing healthcare to those affected by the conflict. Medical facilities have been subject to close Government scrutiny and have suffered aerial bombardments, armed raids and destruction throughout the country – this has left the medical infrastructure all but immobile.

As the country continues to be terrorized, the economic and social structures have been disabled and the victims are the Syrian people. Despite the Syrian Government restricting humanitarian efforts in the country, MSF is a key humanitarian organisation that operates within, providing frontline assistance to civilians.

MSF, one of the largest international medical humanitarian organisations is guided by medical ethics and the principles of neutrality and impartiality. It delivers irrespective of race, religion, gender or political affiliation. The work that MSF is carrying out in Syria is just one reason why I want to support it. This is just one example of MSF’s work, as it operates in over 65 countries around the world with over 25,000 health professionals, delivering emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural or man-made disasters or those excluded from healthcare.

I look forward to supporting MSF's valuable work in some of the most afflicted areas of the world through this marathon and would very much appreciate your support! 

So please dig deep and donate now.

MSF in 40 seconds http://youtu.be/mXV8lTgETks

Introduction to MSF http://youtu.be/8jdq9OcjajM