Hi everyone.

So for my next big race, the Hackney Half, I've decided to do something a little different. I'll be swapping my blue Newbury AC vest for a green Samaritans one, and doing a little bit of fundraising on their behalf. Running has made a dramatic difference to my life, and I am excited to be able to use it to assist an organisation that I care deeply about.

We are lucky in the UK to have a service like the one offered by the Samaritans. They operate throughout the whole year, round the clock through a network of volunteers to assist people. It originally began in 1953 as a hotline focused exclusively on suicide prevention, and whilst staying true to it's original mission, now speaks to anyone in need of someone to listen, whether that's over the phone, by letter, or, more recently, over live chat. I know first hand, as do many others, that this free, non-judgemental service is an incredibly important lifeline (the Samaritans receive a call for help every 10 seconds). Every £10 raised will help the Samaritans answer a potentially life saving call, so I hope that through this campaign we can make a real difference.

The Hackney Half is only my second official half marathon, with most of the races under my belt so far being 10ks. I will be the first to admit that I am not as fit as I was when I was training with my old cross country team - however, I believe that I am slowly but surely turning that around. I am (hoping) that a beginner friendly course like this one will make sub 1:45 possible, but no promises there! I massively appreciate all donations, and I hope you will also follow me on this page as I post training updates.

Best,

Laurence