In 2025, I set out to raise money for Brainkind by running the London Marathon. While I was technically successful in both of those pursuits, a twist of football-related fate means I have unfinished business (more on that later). As a result, I'm doing it again in 2026 – and asking everyone to sponsor me one more time.

To recap, here's how last year played out:

• I raised thousands of pounds for charity

• Spent many months running myself silly

• Ducked out of the event at 24 miles to catch a train so I could watch Liverpool win the League!

But let's get back to why I started all this marathon-running caper.

In December of 2023, my wife Flo suffered subdural hematoma. It was a life-threatening bleed on her brain that left her unable to speak or use her hands, bringing huge amounts of worry and concern to everyone who knows her, especially our wonderful sons, Ignatius and Cosmo.

During a three-month period, Flo overcame meningitis, five lumbar puncture procedures and brain surgery – and she received world-leading medical care from Liverpool University Hospital and the Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery.

Now, it's payback time.

On Sunday, 26 April 2026, I will be running the London Marathon once again and raising money for Brainkind, a charity that provides rehabilitation and ongoing support for anyone who has suffered a brain injury or suffers from any kind of neurological condition.

Flo is still experiencing hangover effects from her brain injury. With your support, we can help people like her who are living with acquired brain injuries and other neurological conditions to access the best specialist rehabilitation available. Whether it be specialist hospitals, neurological centres or rehabilitation services, every penny of your donations will be going to a great cause that helps people regain lost skills or to find new ways of compensating for lost abilities.

Flo grew up in south-east London, which is the best part of the city and where the London Marathon begins each year. We lived close to the London Marathon route for many years, and she completed the event herself 14 years ago.

Suffice it to say that the London Marathon means a lot to Flo, which is why I have chosen to take part in this event and raise money for Brainkind – it's all about celebrating her strength, resilience, determination and the old-school badassery that makes her the wonderful woman she is.

As for me, I'm just hoping that you can all support me once again as I take part in the world's largest fundraising event. Of course I need to finish the thing this time, but this mission is also about completing what has been a magical story.

I watched in awe in 2024 and 2025 as Liverpool put together a remarkable unbeaten run that would culminate in winning the Premier League title early with many games of the season remaining. All of this was wonderful, but as each game played out, it became increasingly clear that the title would be secured on exactly the same day as the London Marathon.

After spending quite a lot of time agonising about the whole thing and moaning to anyone who would listen about everything from drawing with Aston Villa and losing to Fulham to ever-changing TV fixture dates, I accepted the hand that fate dealt me and decided there was only one thing to do.

Leg it!

At 10am on Sunday, April 27th, I bustled my way to the starting line of the London Marathon and began the event alongside elite runners such as Sabastian Sawe and Eliud Kipchoge. Any idea of pacing myself was discarded in favour of running a super-quick marathon in order to catch a train back to Liverpool in time to get to Anfield for the Liverpool v Tottenham match at 4:30pm.

I tried my best to go faster, but I ran out of time and called it. Just over three hours later, I was with my Dad to watch Liverpool secure our 20th League title – what a day!

The actual running this time around has been somewhat painful. I only secured my place for this year's London Marathon in February and shortly after that I suffered a back injury, so I spent the first few weeks of my training slumped over while doing what I'm calling a shuffle instead of a jog. Maybe it's my advancing years or perhaps it's the cruel hand of fate doing it's thing once again, but it's been a struggle. I've still managed to clock up some miles regardless, though, and I recently completed the Liverpool Half Marathon.

As you can see from the first donations to this project, Flo is fully supportive of this comeback and will be there in London with Ignatius and Cosmo to support me as I drag my tired old legs around those 26 point something miles, so please sponsor us as we raise money for Brainkind!