If you are reading this on Saturday November 8th, then there is nothing unusual to report. I am sitting pretty, somewhere in Athens, eating bowls of pasta and perhaps gently massaging my calves.

But if you are reading this on Sunday, then I have good news to report: I am in agony. I am groaning, trembling, aching, possibly throwing up, definitely crying. And this is all as it should be. I am crying and shaking because I am running the Athens marathon.

There are three things to know about the Athens marathon.

First, that it is the ‘authentic’ marathon, the only one that starts in the town of Marathon, and the only marathon whose completion has any historical relevance to the flourishing of human culture.

Second, that it is widely considered one of the hardest marathons to run, because from the 10th until the 30th kilometre, the track runs almost continuously uphill. The final 10 kilometres by contrast, are all steeply downhill

Third, that I am running to support Mazí Housing, a grassroots charity that works with young men seeking refuge in Greece.

Mazí run three apartments in the city, providing a safe place to live for 40 young men every year.

They support residents to deal with health and mental-health concerns, develop skills, find work & pursue goals. This breaks the cycle of homelessness, helping each resident to leave prison-like camps, precarious basements, and rough-sleeping on the streets, for good.

It costs Mazí less to feed and house someone for a day than it costs the Greek state to keep them in camps behind barbed wire. Every penny of your money will be well spent. Please give generously.