I Finished!!  In a time of 1hr 58.54 which was inside my 2 hour target and have also met my second target of £1000, Thanks to all the people who have sponsored me and the support the people at the RNLI have given me, both before and after the race.   

It's not too late to sponsor me!  I have until the end of October to collect all sponsorship.

Hi and thank you for visiting my fundraising page. Please dig deep and sponsor me online.  It's really easy to do and I would be really appreciative if you could help me reach my new target of £1000 (previously £500), this will spur me on to get around the 13.1mile course, I hope!!

Thanks must go out to all those people who have already helped me reach my initial £500 target, it really is appreciated.

You may wonder what possessed me to take part in the Great North Run on the 30th September 2007.

I am running in memory or Simon Foddering who was a pilot who was tragically killed in the Morecambe Bay helicopter Tragedy on the 27th December 2006 at the age of just 33, along with his co-pilot Stephen Potton and five gas rig workers.  Simon left two children - Chloe 11 and Kieran 14.  He was a relative of a good friend of mine, a larger than life character that everyone always spoke so highly of. 

If it were not for the dedication of the Fleetwood, Barrow and Lytham lifeboat teams, six of the seven families would not have had the chance to say farewell to their lost loved ones.  The men and women of the RNLI worked for over 24 hours and battled through a series of elements to bring those souls back to shore.  

Simon achieved many things in his short life, namely serving his country in the Prince of Wales Regiment before completing his training and becoming one of the youngest pilots in the army air fleet serving in Northern Ireland, Cyprus, Germany and Belize, before leaving in 2003 to join the North Wales Air Ambulance and later in the North West Air Ambulance based in Blackpool.  

Sian Lloyd of North Wales Air Ambulance said: "Simon was a fun, outgoing type of chap with a really excellent sense of humour, always ready to have a laugh and a joke." He was very popular and well respected and he will be sorely missed."

Neighbour Stephanie Edwards said: "He was devoted to his two young children and always made time for them.  He was one of nature's gentlemen, a smashing chap, and always chirpy and polite."

So why raise money for the Lifeboats?

I was compelled to do something in Simon's honour and raise money for the RNLI, as they were the ones trying to save his life on that fateful evening.  Simon was a keen fundraiser himself, running in the London Marathon himself and on one occasion he appeared on TV with ITV's Paul Crone raising money for their NW Air Ambulance appeal.

Simon has saved so many lifes, so I feel the RNLI would be a welcome choice for Simon and I'm sure he would have approved.

So please, please, please sponsor me and help those who risk their own lives to save others.         

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure.  It's the most efficient way to sponsor me :- The RNLI will receive your money faster and, if you are a taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to the gift at no cost to you.

Please note - I am funding my own travel, accommodation, equipment etc, so all donations will go straight to the RNLI only.    

Update 9th July - I have been training over the past weeks with Paul (my running partner) but have been hindered lately with slight under foot injury! Nevertheless I entered and ran thePreston 10k in 51 mins and 54 secs on the 8th of July.  Hopefully I can push on from here to get a respectable time for the GNR.  Update 19th July - Training is continuing and have stepped up the distance to just under 7 miles. 8th Aug - Have now managed over 8.5 miles in a training run and I felt like I could keep going, so I think I will manage to cross the finish line come the 30th Sept. 29th Aug - Paul and I are managing to do 5.36 miles in under 44 minutes and we easily completed 9 miles in 1hr 27 at a comfortable/steady pace.  22nd Sept - Only a week away!! Easing off with the training and concentrating on the fundraising to push Simon's total beyond £1000.  Please see article from a local paper :- http://www.lep.co.uk/news/Charity-run-for-helicopter-heroes.3221929.jp

Please could you help my friend Paul reach his target too, as I kept asking him to do the GNR with me, but needs to raise £300 for the RNIB so please give him a hand too, it would be much appreciated.  www.justgiving.com/paulmowatt

Thanks again

Karl