From the 28th-30th August, Martyn and I are going to run the South Downs Way from Winchester to Eastbourne and really need your support. Neither of us have ever run an ultra marathon (50km+) and so we thought we'd run one on each day to cover the full 100 mile distance (and 3,500m+ of climbing!). I know this is going to be a tough one as I've ridden this in a day and was broken after that.

But sometimes we've got to take on a challenge and it's brilliant to go through the ups and downs with a top buddy. Mart and I have known each other since we were 5 and we're hoping this one won't break that nearly 45 year friendship.

And we're doing all this in support of the charity I joined a few months as Chief Executive, British Exploring Society and as part of our Chair's Challenge. We provide young people with access to challenging learning in wild and remote locations in the UK and overseas, using an approach refined through nearly a century of experience, to deliver a mix of adventure, knowledge, and personal development.

I've always been passionate and worked hard to ensure that young people from all backgrounds have the same kinds of chances in their life. But, let's be honest, when it comes to exploring wild areas, in the UK or overseas, that's certainly not the case for all. We can't keep these life changing opportunities from young people. Mart and I (particularly Mart!) have been lucky enough to travel a fair bit in our lives and absolutely know how game-changing this has been for us.

Please donate to support our challenge. In our hardest hours we may need more moral support than we can muster. Knowing you’re behind us and donating to a good cause will hopefully give us the extra impetus we need to get to keep pushing on to Eastbourne.