In April 2027 I'll be running the London Marathon with my wife, Lucy, in aid of Hospice UK.

It'll be my first ever full marathon. I've dabbled in ultras many moons ago, but I've never actually run the classic 26.2, and I'm very grateful to have a charity place with Hospice UK. Lucy was incredibly lucky to land a ballot place, and it'll be her first marathon distance too.

We've both enjoyed running for years, but a young family and a house move have pushed it a long way down the priority list. Now it's time to get that fitness back!

That's part of why I want to share the journey. I spend my working life around endurance sport, so I'll be documenting the build-up on social media. The training plans, the nutrition, the sessions that go well and the ones that don't. If you'd like to follow along, I'm @mattendurancescientist, i'll be discussing what I'm doing , and the science behind why I'm doing it. Consider it a live experiment in whether the theory of training survives real world application in my life with a toddler and a full-time job.

We're running for Hospice UK because we both care deeply about the palliative and end-of-life care that supports people and families across the country. For Lucy, it's personal. After her dad Rob died in 2020, she saw first-hand how much hospice care means to a family going through the hardest time of their lives. That care should be there for everyone who needs it.

Any donation you can make would mean a huge amount, and truly, no amount is too small.

Thank you.

Matt