My father, Ian, was raised in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and was a proud Geordie. He loved his home city, its people, its culture and of course, its football team.

He battled Multiple Sclerosis for much of his life, and died in February 2019, aged 59. His decision to take his own life was an act of empowerment and control, but his death was also lonely and dangerous, and deeply traumatic for his family and friends.

I have seen how Multiple Sclerosis can be a vicious and brutal disease. Yet in recent years, there has been some fantastic scientific progress in understanding and tackling the disease and its causes, as well as its symptoms.

My father was an intelligent and driven man, fully informed about the disease from almost every perspective imaginable. He was the treasurer on the board of the MS Society for a time, working closely with the charity in the latter years of his life. If he were alive today, he would continue to passionately support the fantastic work they do.

Read my father's Guardian obituary here.

Newcastle and the North East remains a place very close to my heart, and I have wanted to run the Great North Run ever since his death, not least to remember my Dad in the city he was from, to run in his memory, and to do something his body stopped being able to while mine is still able.

I am running for him, for everyone who battles against MS, and their loved ones, or anyone who is affected by the disease in any way.

Find out more about the MS Society here.

Any amount you are able to give, no matter how small, is welcome and deeply appreciated.

Thank you for being generous, canny and proper mint.

(...and, of course, Howay the Lads)

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Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable condition that affects your brain and spinal cord. In MS, the coating that protects your nerves (myelin) is damaged. This causes a range of symptoms like blurred vision and problems with how we move, think and feel.

More than 150,000 people in the UK have MS. Once diagnosed, MS stays with you for life, but treatments and specialists can help you to manage the condition and its symptoms.

The MS Society is here to help everyone live well with MS.

Every year they reach thousands of people with help and support through their MS Helpline and local groups. They campaign on the issues that matter most to the MS community. And they invest in ground-breaking research to stop MS in its tracks.

Together, we are strong enough to stop MS.