Paris Marathon 2026 – Running for Demelza 💙

By a man built for comfort, not speed

I’ve signed up for the Paris Marathon this April.

Yes, that Paris Marathon.

Yes, I’m fully aware this is a terrible idea.

I’m an old ex-rugby player. My natural habitat is a bar stool or a sofa, not mile 18 somewhere near the Bois de Boulogne questioning my life choices. I was built for short bursts of impact, not sustained elegance. Think forwards pack, not gazelle.

And yet… here we are.

I’m doing this for Demelza Hospice Care for Children, an incredible charity that supports children with serious or life-limiting conditions, and their families, across the South East. They provide care, respite, emotional support, and compassion at the times it’s needed most — and they do it with warmth, dignity, and relentless humanity.

Compared to what Demelza families deal with every single day, a few hours of pain, blisters, and public discomfort in Paris feels like the least I can offer.

What your donation will do

Your support helps Demelza:

Care for children with complex medical needs

Give families precious moments of rest and support

Provide comfort, joy, and dignity in unimaginably tough circumstances

Every pound genuinely makes a difference.

What you’re funding (be honest)

Months of training that will look suspiciously like limping

A man discovering muscles he thought retired years ago

At least one emotional wobble somewhere after mile 20

A finish line moment powered entirely by stubbornness and donations

If you can spare anything at all — big or small — I’d be massively grateful.

And if you donate extra, I promise to think of you fondly somewhere around kilometre 35 when everything hurts and Paris stops being romantic.

Thank you for reading, thank you for donating, and thank you for helping Demelza do what they do best: care when it matters most.

— Will