2024 will mark a milestone birthday for me and I am celebrating this by undertaking my biggest personal challenge to date: to run 12 marathons in 12 months starting with the London Marathon 2024 and finishing with London Marathon 2025. Each year for the past 5 years, I have set myself a personal challenge to raise as much money as possible for an incredible charity that supports the families of children diagnosed with cancer - Young Lives vs Cancer (YLVC). My planned events are:

1. London Marathon – April 2024

2. Copenhagen Marathon – May 2024

3. Midnight Sun Marathon (Tromsø, Norway) – June 2024

4. Berlin Marathon – September 2024

5. Chicago Marathon – October 2024

6. Amsterdam Marathon – October 2024

7. New York City Marathon – November 2024

8. Valencia Marathon – December 2024

9. Tokyo Marathon – March 2025

10. Rome Marathon – March 2025

11. Boston Marathon – April 2025

12. London Marathon – April 2025

Most of these events are confirmed. Others subject to change (but I will substitute for other events).

I know that the cost of living crisis is affecting everyone right now, but for families who are living with a child diagnosed with cancer, it can only be described as a real life nightmare. Often, the parents do not have any choice but to give up work to care for a sick child; to pay for travel in order to receive treatment; and to pay for accommodation for extended periods of time while a child receives life-saving hospital care. YLVC provides a lifeline to these families through financial support, providing free accommodation in one of their ‘Homes from Home’ for the duration of the treatment; and social workers to provide emotional and practical support to the child while they endure months or even years of gruelling treatment. Every day, YLVC battles with financial pressure while working hard to provide the care and support that these families desperately need.

YLVC supported my high school friends Sara and Richard whose son, Georg, was diagnosed with Leukaemia at the age of 4. Young Lives vs Cancer supported them throughout the 3 years of treatment. Happily Georg is now cancer free, but the work of YLVC carries on.

As with my previous events, I am self-funding all of my overseas races and have therefore set myself a fundraising target to match my own costs. It would have been easier to have just given the money to YLVC, but for me, this is just as much about raising awareness of the work done by this fantastic charity as it is about financial support.

Thank you for your continued kindness and generosity.

David

To find out more visit www.younglivesvscancer.org.uk