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So, my story about running the Paris Marathon is a long one, so bear with me...

3 years ago I was struggling with my weight as a lot of people find when they reach their mid thirties.  I was overweight, out of shape and putting my body under stress.  I started to cycle on a cheap mountain bike, managing to lose weight and saw the benefits.  Then I purchased a new road bike and saw my fitness improve even more.  It was at this stage I decided to try running, something I couldn’t even consider before.  I started slowly, making my way to what I saw as a milestone of 5km.  Then I moved on to 10km runs.  Soon, I discovered that I enjoyed this, and my fitness was better than I had ever had before.  I made the decision to move up to a new goal and registered for the 2013 Brentwood Half Marathon.

So, on March 24th 2013 (the day after my 35 Birthday) I undertook the half marathon and finished in a time of 1hr 48mins, which was far quicker than my hopeful time of 2hr 20mins.

Inspired by this, I started to look for a new challenge.  A marathon, something I always thought of as pipe dream until now...

Lloyds Banking Group, my employer, has partnered with the Alzheimer’s Society as their Charity of The Year.  Through this, I applied for a place on the London Marathon in 2014.  Unfortunately I didn’t get that place, but I was offered a chance to run in Paris instead.  Well, running in beautiful Paris eh?  sounds like a lovely thing to do doesn’t it?

Why will I be running for the Alzheimer’s Society?  Well, like most people, I understand the problems and social issues faced by sufferers of this disease.  We all know of people in our life who have faced the problems of dementia; be it a close elderly relative or a younger person who's life is tragically afflicted by early onset.  The disease is known to be one of the most costly to society in terms of funding, and in an ageing world we live in, more and more of us will have to face the problem at some point in our life; and the care and research offered by the AS will directly aid us all.  Their work in promoting the knowledge of the disease is second to none and have singlehandedly improved the view of the issues within the UK.  When I was at school in the late 80s, Alzheimer’s wasn’t discussed; it wasn’t something we knew about beyond the “forgetful old person” stereotype we all joked about.  Since them, education has improved with more and more people understanding the disease and leading to the stigma being removed and society as a whole becoming more understanding.  The work they do with carers has also improve the life of thousands of people, allowing them to lead fuller lives, enjoying all manner of activates that couldn’t have been considered even less than a decade ago.

Obviously as a charity, the AS rely on the goodwill of people to help fund its work.  In running for them in the 2014 Paris Marathon, I would like to think that in my own small way I could help in raise awareness and, more importantly, raise valuable funds.  As I discovered during the last few weeks before my half marathon this year, it seems that even in this time of austerity, people are still happy to commit to giving to charity where they can.  I raised money for the NSPCC, which like AS is something tangible to all people.  In the 2 weeks leading up to my run (I decided to ask for sponsorship very late!), I managed to raise £250 purely from close friends and family.  This time I need to raise a rather more grand total of £2000 (plus £500 which will given as matched-giving through work).  I realise that this is a HUGE ask from my family, friends, colleagues etc; so please dig deep and donate!

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