I used to think running a marathon was impossible - an in-joke for runners, poking fun at us all. Running in general was something I didn't really care for, going for a token jog every now and again, and my annual entry into the JPM CC. And then the endless lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 came around - I'll admit these turned me into somewhat of a troglodyte. Eventually the novelty wore off and driven by almost endless boredom, craving any excuse to go outside, I dusted off the trainers like so many others and went for a run.

When I started on this journey I could just about run 5km, but that required stopping, often twice. However one thing lead to another, my competitiveness took over and I surprisingly took a liking to this running thing. I kept thinking to myself that each new milestone was enough for me, until a challenge to run a half marathon went much better than expected. Then one summer's evening, in a place where all the best ideas come about (the pub), I started to believe. I could run a marathon. And here we are, face to face with the same challenge I thought was a joke. In terms of time, my aim is to go sub 3:40, if everything goes to plan I'd love to go sub 3:30 - go big or go home right?

That's my part of the story, now for the really important part. I'm running to support Alzheimer's Research UK, the UK's leading dementia research charity. I chose to run for them because like so many others, I've seen firsthand how horrible a condition Dementia is. It is now the leading cause of death in the UK - it is estimated that 50% of us will be affected in our lifetimes, with someone new being diagnosed every 3 minutes.

Now those who know me well will know I have always fancied myself as a bit of a scientist (despite giving up those endeavours many moons ago), and still to this day I'm fascinated by scientific research. Having lived and breathed this life whilst at University I know how vitally important it is to support these endeavours, especially if they can help us to find new ways to diagnose dementia and develop new treatments. Together we can find a cure!