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As some of you may know, I’m no stranger to an ultramarathon. What you may not know however, is that despite having many miles under my belt, I’ve yet to conquer a 100 mile race.

Well… this year that’s all about to change, as by a stroke of luck Rat Race have scheduled one for this summer. Not only that, but it happens to fall on my birthday weekend!

I can’t think of a better way to turn 36 than ‘running’ 100 miles with my best pal Al Pepper and the 100s of others as we go from Bamburgh Castle (on 19th July) to Edinburgh Castle, finishing (hopefully!) some time on my birthday, the 20th, for some finish line birthday cake and beer.

As if that wasn’t pertinent enough, this year will also mark 10 years since I lost my mum, Margaret, to cancer on the 22nd July 2015. It was her second time bravely battling the disease after previously beating breast cancer some years before. Losing her was even harder knowing that, in typical fashion, she kept her illness quiet so I could enjoy my last months of traveling without the weight of it on my mind. It was a big shock to come back to and still hurts that I only got a few days with her after coming home.

I do often wonder what she would make of all my running exploits, as all it used to amount to was 30 minutes on the treadmill in the bathroom staring at a wall.

So, as a way of keeping her memory alive and to keep me motivated when the miles are adding up (and the inevitable pain and doubts are all around me trying to get me to stop) I thought I’d take the opportunity to raise some money for Cancer Research UK.

Any donations will be hugely appreciated, and I’ll be giving shoutouts on my Instagram stories along the way, keeping you all updated over the (hopefully only) 20-odd hours we plan to complete it in.

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