Earlier this year I injured my hand and couldn't workout properly for a while. So I started running more instead. One thing led to another, and somehow I ended up signing up for a marathon.

I've always done a bit of running here and there (2 half marathons along the way) but never taken it too seriously. This year feels like the right time to change that.

The marathon is in La Rochelle, where I grew up. It's a good excuse to go back and run 42km through streets I used to cycle around as a kid. I'm building up to it with a 10k in London in April and a half marathon before summer.

I'm fundraising for the British Heart Foundation. Heart disease has affected my family directly, and it felt like the right cause to run for.

If you'd like to follow along, I'm documenting the journey on my website https://pierre-allain.com/.