On Saturday 18 October I'me doing the Forest of Dean ultramarathon, not far from where I live. It's a 55km/33 mile trail route with over 4km of elevation. It's the longest run I've attempted!

It's not way-markerd and I don't think there will that many other entrants, so I'll have to navigate myself around and try not to get stuck in the mud, fall into the Rover Wye or get charged at by any cows or boar...

I would like to say I've followed a training plan and feel well prepared, but that would be a lie. I manage to run a few miles each week (sometimes by myself, sometimes with a pack of dogs) so I'm hoping that if I pace myself and refuel well, I'll make it to the end without too much suffering...

I wanted to use the opportunity to raise money for charity. Although we don't hear about it much in the UK, the largest humanitarian crisis in the world is currently happening in Sudan, where over 150,000 people have died in the civil war that started in 2023, and over 15milliion have had to flee their homes (that's about a quarter of the entire UK population...).

Rights for Peace is a human rights organisation working to prevent mass atrocity crimes in fragile states, by supporting and collaborating with local organisations, including in Sudan. Please sponsor me to help them with their work.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.