Thank you, everybody!!!

I'm down for the London Landmarks 2026 half-marathon in April and here are three reasons why ...

(1) It is not a full marathon.

(2) I was goaded into it. More specifically, I was emotionally blackmailed into taking part by, the Guardian Football Weekly podcast presenter Max Rushden. He pounced during an episode of the show when I stupidly observed that running a half-marathon "isn't all that difficult". At the time I was belittling the efforts of a good friend of mine who'd just run a half-marathon.

(3) I really need to shed some timber, the price of Mounjaro has gone through the roof and participating in the London Landmarks HM provides an ideal opportunity to try to get fit while raising some money for an excellent cause – Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity!

I have set a rather ambitious target of £13,100, which is a thousand pounds per mile. If you can help me put a dent in that number, I'd be incredibly grateful.

Some context: At the start-line I will be 53 years old. I am very overweight. I drink too much, am completely unfit and have not run further than a mile without stopping to cough and/or cry in over 15 years. Generally, I only run if being pursued.

While I am loathe to describe what I am doing as anything so pretentious as "a journey", there is quite literally a destination and reaching it will will involve a lot of running ... an activity I fucking hate.

With that in mind, please give anything you can, safe in the knowledge that I'll be enduring a world of pain to try to alleviate some of that suffered by so many wonderful and brave kids.

But also remember it's not about them - it's very much about me.

Donating through JustGiving is blah, blah, blah ... get your pennies in - every pound makes a MASSIVE difference!