For those of you with doubts about me making it round, I have a whole host of motivational reasons to complete the gruelling 26.2miles…(deep breaths).

1) My longest run is 17 miles (11/03/07), so what is another 9 between friends?? Blisters, avoiding doing a 'Paula' and not allowing a man in a Rhino costume to overtake me aside...2) I’m 30 this year (more deep breaths) and thought I should do something that benefits those who really do need my (and your) support. 3) The parents and children at the Russet House School in North London depend on donations to improve their lives.

So why Friends of Russet House? Russet House in North London aims to be a centre of excellence, providing a nurturing environment where the individual needs of children with Autism are met through multi-disciplinary assessment and high quality teaching. Russet House has a pupil called Noah who I care about very much. The school is helping him with his condition.

When I met Noah's family three years ago they were in the process of learning of his diagnosis. At this time, his mother was still hoping that Noah was a 'late developer' and that the occasional words that he muttered was the start of him finally developing speech. Sadly, these few words rapidly disappeared and were replaced by obsessive behavioral patterns. Today, Noah is still unable to communicate verbally, but with the support he receives from the dedicated staff at Russet House he is showing clear signs of development in many areas.

Your donation will enable Russet House to continue it’s work in improving the lives of so many children and their families, and further inspire me to run every step of those 26 miles for them. Thank you!

Sinead