The Challenge
Over the course of 4 weeks I will be taking part in three running events, covering over 52miles, in order to raise funds for Plymouth Youth For Christ.

• Ocean City (Plymouth) Half Marathon : 5 Sept 2021
• Torbay Half Marathon : 12 Sept 2021
• Virtual London Marathon : 3 Oct 2021
  

The Goal
My aim is to complete the Ocean City (Plymouth) Half in less than 90minutes which is an optimistic target yet one I am confident I can achieve with dedication to my training, grit and determination.  I will then use the Torbay Half as a recovery run in preperation to run the Virtual London Marathon in under 4 hours.

My Experience
I ran the Plymouth Half in 2010 (the day before my wedding) with a time of 1hr45minutes.  I then never ran again until 2019 where I followed the NHS Couch to 5K plan, Bridge to 10K plan then eventually building up the distance to run the 2020 Virtual NYC Half Marathon to see if I could still run at the same pace as my 10yr younger self.  With a time of 1hr37minutes I am determined to return to the Plymouth Half and knock even more time off my PB.

Speed isn't everything, I love to push myself to see how far I can go, so in May 2021 I ran the Redbull Wings For Life World Run and completed 18miles, my furthest distance I've ever ran.  I am now training hard to run a full 26.2mile marathon with the intention to build on that distance to one day run even further again.

Who Am I Doing This For?
In short, I am doing this for the young people of Plymouth.

I have been involved in youth and schools work in various forms across the UK for over 20 years and I am passionate to see young people thrive.

In September 2019 I joined with a team of volunteers to launch a Friday night youth club in Leigham, Plymouth. The club, supported by volunteers from different churches in the Estover/Leigham area, quickly grew into a thriving community of lively young people.  Just as we were gearing up to support these youngsters transistion from primary to secondary school we were hit by the Covid Pandemic along with all the restrictions and limitations this brought with it.

Our heart for these young lives never changed, and through this difficult season God has grown and nurtured the vision, leading us to become part of the National Youth For Christ family www.yfc.co.uk.

We have set up a brand new local arm of this charity, Plymouth Youth For Christ, which will launch in September 2021 with the vision to invite every young person in the city to explore the Christian faith and enable them to thrive in all areas of life.

All money I raise through these three events will go towards the valuable work of Youth For Christ in Plymouth; bringing love, hope, and faith to young people across the city.