100km is a long run. The thing is, it was an easy choice to sign up, I can ‘feel the why’, and I know the training and planning is going to be hard, but the part I am finding the hardest, the part which has taken me months to formulate, is this part, the explanation.

The Goldsmith’s are like family. Claire Goldsmith, incredible mother to Tom, Alfie, Naomi, Angus (and Martha her beloved dog!), beautiful wife to James, loving and caring daughter and sister, enigmatic best friend to my mother and so many other people, and absolute, total, inspiration to me. When Claire was in a bike accident in April 2019 and passed away in July 2020, so many people’s lives were irrevocably changed. There is the pain of her death, the pain in everyone’s loss, the pain of seeing my longest and best friend lose her mother, her best friend. Claire left this gaping hole in the world and it bloody hurts, but she also left the most incredible memories and an unforgettable energy. Claire mastered the epic cocktail of logistics, pragmatism, ambition and capability, essential for endurance and extreme sports like this and I can only wish to have a proportion of that to make the distance.

The Sussex and Kent Air Ambulance were Claires best chance. Whilst Claire is not here to tell her story, this charity has the skill, knowledge, and equipment to give more people their best chance. Their service costs over £16.6M a year and 87% of their income is a result of donations such as this. So here is a run where I can try and support that, a small dent in their total costs but one that will help save more people, doing a sport I love, in the spirit of someone who still means so much, and for a cause which can make a difference. To put it in more tangible terms;

• £5 could fund a PEEP (Positive End Expiratory Pressure) valve helping to prevent lung collapse.

• £10 could buy pre-filled syringes that enable our crews to deliver anaesthetic drugs without any delay associated with them having to prepare drugs from vials at the scene.

• £31 could buy an access kit that allows our crews to easily attach drips and administer vital drugs.

• £350 could fund a bespoke kit bag carrying life-saving equipment.

• £3000 could fund enough fuel for 10 helicopter missions.

For more information on the vital work of KSS, please visit aakss.org.uk

Run: May 18th - 19th 2024

Corfe Castle - Bridport