In April 2026, I'll run 26.2 miles through London. But this isn't really about the marathon.

It's about the people who can no longer run.

Through my work as a physiotherapist with Kevin Sinfield's 7 in 7 fundraising team, I've spent the last five years alongside the MND community. I've met extraordinary people facing Motor Neurone Disease, including my former athlete Rob Burrow and my friend and GAA teammate Cathal Deasy.

Rob dazzled rugby fans with his speed and agility. When MND took that from him, he showed the world what inner strength truly means. His spirit remained undiminished. His smile, unfaded.

Cathal, despite everything MND threw at him, always had the biggest smile imaginable on his face. That smile is the pattern I've noticed most in the MND community. People finding laughter when tears would be understandable. Thinking of others when they have every reason to think only of themselves.

I've just published a book called The Resilient Athlete, with a foreword by Kevin Sinfield CBE. All profits generated from that book in the lead up to the Marathon will go to this page and then long term split between MND charities in the UK and Ireland.

When my legs grow heavy at mile 20, I'll remember that I'm exercising a privilege that Rob, Cathal, and thousands of others would give anything to have back.

Every pound you donate goes directly to the MND Association, funding vital research, specialist care, and support for families living with this devastating disease.

Please give what you can. In honour of those who inspire us by facing each day with courage when their bodies will no longer carry them.

More about MND:

Motor neurone disease (MND) is a progressive disease that attacks the motor neurones, or nerves, in the brain and spinal cord. This means messages gradually stop reaching muscles, which leads to weakness and wasting.

MND can affect how you walk, talk, eat, drink and breathe. However, not all symptoms necessarily happen to everyone, and it is unlikely they will all develop at the same time, or in any specific order.

Although there is currently no cure for MND, symptoms can be managed to help you achieve the best possible quality of life.

We need your support.

£85 could pay for an important chemical to preserve 600 tubes of cells when they are frozen

£280 could pay for a person with MND to download their banked voice

£500 could fund a tablet device, giving the ability to communicate with loved ones

£1000 could pay for detailed analysis of DNA to help us better understand the causes of the disease.