Thanks so much for looking at my fundraising page.

In May 2012 my brother Jeff died in Marie Curie's Newcastle Hospice. He was 49.

Jeff had a larger than life personality, was really compassionate and kind and touched the lives of so many people. He was diagnosed with cancer in 1999 and fought it bravely until the end. He was selflessly involved in a great deal of research and also supported many others who were struggling to cope with their diagnoses. His optimism and strength of character helped him and many others through the worst times.

At the end of his life, Marie Curie offered Jeff and our heroic parents the care and support they needed in a comfortable environment. The hospice in Newcastle offered Jeff a special bed so that he could be as comfortable as possible but has a very special atmosphere and wonderful gardens that can offer space and natural beauty to 'patients' and their families and carers alike.

I wanted to do something to try to help Marie Curie in 2012 but other commitments meant this didn't happen.

In April 2024 I'm attempting to run two of the world's biggest marathons (two of the six World Marathon Major races), on two continents in 6 days and I thought this might be a good opportunity to raise much needed funding for Marie Curie and say thank you for the support they offered my family when we needed it most.

On April 15th, I'll run 26.2 miles in the Boston Marathon. The world's oldest annual marathon (this is the 128th) begins in a town called Hopkinton and passes through Massachusetts before reaching Copley Square in Boston.

I'll then fly back to London, manage the jet lag and, on April 21st, attempt to run the same distance in the London Marathon, running from Greenwich past Cutty Sark, the Tower of London and The Houses of Parliament to finish near Buckingham Palace.

After a couple of attempts at 'Couch to 5K' I started running regularly in 2019 but increased the distance and frequency of my runs during lockdown. I joined my local running club, St Albans Striders in June 2021. In May 2022, I attempted my first marathon in Milton Keynes but struggled to finish in 4 hours and 12 minutes. This experience put me off racing a little but for 2023 I made a resolution to try to get comfortable with the marathon distance and finish a race in under 4 hours. I raced whenever I could, over different distances and terrain and completed 6 marathons (including 2 ultra-marathons) in the year. My last marathon of 2023 was in Valencia. I completed it in 2 hours and 58 minutes.

In a moment of madness in March, I also signed up for the Milton Keynes marathon again. This race will be on Monday May 6th and is an attempt to put the 2022 experience behind me. This will be my third marathon in 3 weeks.

I usually steer clear of fund-raising, particularly around running, as it adds pressure to an already massive challenge. Until recently, I didn't consider myself a runner (just somebody who loves to run) and would feel uncomfortable talking about races before they happened. However, having seen and supported non-runners heroically taking part in marathons to raise funds for charities, I felt honour bound to try to use this event to benefit others.

Marie Curie is a charity working across the UK and they need our support to do their vital work. I really hope this challenge will raise some funds for them. To be clear, I have qualified for and will be funding both races myself. I won't be taking charity spaces or resource that others can use. I will run in my club kit but will be proud to wear a Marie Curie daffodil on my St Albans Striders vest. My Strava feed is displayed below and will update so you can see how my training is going and how I do in these and other races.

Thanks again for your interest and, if you are able to support Marie Curie, I and they would be really grateful.

Best wishes

Steve