100km Non-Stop Thames Path Challenge for MND – For September, I’ll be taking on a 100km non-stop Thames Path Challenge.

That’s 100 kilometres. On foot. In one go.

In my head, that’s roughly 20 Park Runs back-to-back… without the comforting thought of a bacon sandwich at the end.

Why?

Because my mate Jon has Motor Neurone Disease.

Earlier this year, at just 43, Jon received the devastating diagnosis of MND. After 23 years serving in the Royal Navy, he was fit, strong, and even played rugby for the Navy. Then came the news that changes everything.

MND is cruel. It robs people of their strength, their independence, and eventually their ability to move, speak and breathe — while their mind remains sharp. There is currently no cure.

Despite this, Jon’s spirit remains unbelievable.

One of Jon’s lifelong ambitions was to run a marathon. After his diagnosis, he thought that dream was gone. But true to the bond and camaraderie of service life, his friend Alistair didn’t see it that way.

Alistair will push Jon in an adapted wheelchair at the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon in 2026, alongside a team of fellow veterans who say they now want to “serve again in a different way.”

That courage, that loyalty, that refusal to give up — it’s impossible not to be moved by it.

So this 100km walk is my way of standing with Jon.

Of standing with everyone battling this brutal disease.

And of raising vital funds for the Motor Neurone Disease Association, who provide essential support to families and fund critical research into finding treatments and a cure.

I’ll start in Putney and follow the Thames Path all the way to Henley — through Richmond, Kingston, Hampton Court, Runnymede, Windsor, Maidenhead and Marlow — walking through the day, through the night, and very likely through several emotional breakdowns and blister crises.

It will hurt. A lot.

But it’s nothing compared to what Jon — and so many others — face every single day.

If you can spare anything at all, I’d be hugely grateful. Every pound goes toward helping families like Jon’s and funding the research we desperately need.

Let’s back Jon.

Let’s back MNDA.

Let’s make every painful step count.

Thank you so much for your support — it honestly means everything.