Dear friends,

 

I hope you are all well and enjoying the holiday season and apologies for asking for charitable support at Christmas time.

 

With my brother and plenty of good friends in the Armed services and with Your Golf Travel.com's official Charity being Help for Heroes and organising the National Club Challenge to raise £1million for injured servicemen in 2010, I have decided to do my bit to raise as much money as possible for this very poignant cause by taking on the following 3 Challenges.

 

I leave on Boxing Day to trek up Kilimanjaro's west face, with my friend Sameer Patel and we will summit on the night of New years eve / new year’s day. I will then run the London marathon with Andrew Harding, Chris Pinsent and Dave Kingsley in April and then complete my hatrick challenge by running the New York Marathon on the first Sunday in November 2010, where I will be joined by Andrew again.

 

Even back in my rugby playing days, I never enjoyed the running or the training and at 110kilos plus, I will be dragging myself around the world to complete the challenge. Any support will not be forgotten! As the boxer Joe Calzage told me before the last marathon I ran "you're a big lad and without stating the obvious, you're not exactly built for long distance running are you!" Thanks for the vote of confidence Champ...

 

In a year that has been so difficult for many, any support that you offer me for this excellent Charity to help fund the amazing work they do at the rehabilitation centre at Headley Court in Surrey would be massively appreciated and help push me through all the training to complete my hatrick challenge next year admist other commitments! As you will know over 100 British servicemen have died in conflict since 2003, but what they don't tell you is about all our boys and girls that have been severely injured in action - I am informed this is well over 3000 and would ask that you donate whatever you can (however small) to help these brave souls, who protect our shores under the most difficult of conditions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

 

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and best wishes to you and your family for 2010! I will be thinking of you all while camping out on the mountain in snow on New Year’s Eve...

 

If you would like to support my challenge and Help for Heroes, please use the link below.

 

RossX

P.S. I have extended my challenge until April 2011 when I will be back for one last London marathon! Another 26.2 miles of bliss...

 

 

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