I'm a journalist myself and as the deputy head of the journalism department at City, University of London, I play a small part in helping train the next generation of journalists, many of whom work as freelancers. Therefore I really wanted to run the Royal Parks Half Marathon again to support the Rory Peck Trust.

News journalism involves huge personal risk, but we need journalists to bear witness to conflict, human suffering and hold power to account.

And in a fragmented media world, we increasingly rely on freelance journalists - who often are more at risk than their staff counterparts. Many don't have the same level of training, support or resources as staff journalists which can often increase the risks they face when deployed in areas of conflict. So, freelancers are at a great risk of being injured, threatened, imprisoned, detained or killed as a result of their work.

The Rory Peck Trust is the only charity dedicated to the support, safety and welfare of freelance journalists worldwide. They provide dedicated training and support as well as specialist mental health and resilience skills training. Please consider sponsoring me to help raise money for this great cause – and to keep me going with my training (feeling slightly nervous here, have to admit…training has been tough this year)