Update: April 27th, 2010

A million thanks to everyone who has donated to Arthritis Research UK and supported me on my marathon run! The support I have received and my family has received has been overwhelming and we are extremely grateful.

For those who are interested, I completed the London Marathon on Sunday in a time of 3:52:51, thereby achieving a personal goal of breaking 4 hours. But I've got to say that that success paled in significance to seeing my family supporting me on the day and seeing how much good work you and we have all done for Arthritis Research UK.

After the race, I had the pleasure of meeting the CEO of Arthritis Research UK, Liam O'Toole. He was extremely appreciative of the funds we've raised, and we had a good chat about the vision for the charity as they strive to raise awareness for this disability. Having him personally thank us for our support was terrific, and I wanted to pass on his thanks.

Thanks again for your generosity! It means the world to us.

Wishing you all the best,

Paul

Original note:

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I'm running my first ever marathon, the London Marathon, on April 25th. And I'm running to support a great charity, Arthritis Research UK (formerly known as the Arthritis Research Campaign, arc). In preparation for this marathon, I'm running the Reading Half Marathon in late March.

Arthritis Research UK was very close to my father-in-law, David McLarnon, who suffered from rheumatoid arthritis most of his adult life, having been diagnosed in his 20s. David passed away unexpectedly in May 2009 after complications from surgery related to his arthritis.

Those who knew David will know just how much this means to me. He was an incredibly strong man, who never let his physical pain become an issue for others around him. Hailing from Burgess Hill, West Sussex, David was a very active member of his local church, St. Andrew's, and the local community. He was also incredibly intelligent. He worked until the age of 65 as a biology teacher in Brighton and Lewes. He was well known for his mental acuity, love of wordplay and passion for learning. He always loved to make his brain work, when and where his body couldn't.

If you're not aware of Arthritis Research UK, it was founded in 1936. The charity works tirelessly to raise funds to promote medical research into the cause, treatment and cure of arthritic conditions; to educate medical students, doctors and healthcare professionals about arthritis; and to provide information to the general public.

Many thanks for taking the time to read this, and for your generous support.

All the best,

Paul

P.S.: If you're not familiar with this website, JustGiving, here is some additional information for you:

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.