Welcome to our fundraising page for the Flora London Marathon. Neither of us has run a marathon before so this is something of an adventure. We started running regularly in mid-July when both of us were feeling a bit unfit.

We've just run the London Marathon!!! John got 3:13:37 and Sarah got 4:03:35. We were both about 3 1/2 minutes off our targets but are very pleased to have achieved such good times in our first marathon. We'll be sending you an email with some more details later on...

Update 14/02/06 - John injured his achilles during a 20-miler 9 days ago but together with rest and daily strength exercises is getting going again with a couple very short runs so far this week. Sarah fought in the Oxford-Cambridge Taekwondo Varsity Match on Sunday in Oxford and beat an Oxford black belt (though sadly Oxford won overall) -- so now has more time for running training!

Update 13/03/06 - Sold cakes and brownies (mmmm) at cycling cuppers over the weekend, netting a bit more cash. John is back running now (though lower mileage than before), and Sarah fought in BSTF nationals yesterday so she's back running too... but with Silverstone coming up in a week we may be in for a shock!

Update 19/03/06 - We ran Silverstone half marathon today (13.1 miles). Sarah finished in 1:57:18 (averaging 8:57 per mile). John finished in 1:29:49 (averaging 6:51 per mile). It was very windy and the headwind was nasty but we were both happy with our results given the inconsistency of training over the last month or so!

Update 27/03/06 - This week we've each done over 40 miles, so things are pretty much back on track. Sarah ran 22 miles on Saturday and I ran the 18 miles to Ely on Sunday, so we're both doing longer ones again as well!

Update 9/04/06 - Ran the Reading Half today, and it went quite well! Sarah ran 1:48 (9 minutes faster than 3 weeks ago) and John finished in 1:26 (3 minutes' improvement). It's amazing clocking those splits, so much faster than you ever do in training!

This is definitely value for sponsorship money. You just have to sponsor us for this one race, and we'll run the Silverstone Half Marathon (19 March), the Reading Half Marathon (9 April), the London Marathon (23 April) and the Edinburgh Marathon (11 June). For some reason we thought this was a good idea. We are fundraising together and train together when our training plans permit and Sarah's not too busy at Taekwondo kicking ass.

St. John Ambulance is a worthwhile cause. If you think about it, they've probably affected you directly. Large organised sporting events that we all value, like the Bumps, would be impossible or much more expensive without their services. They also provide first aid training and essential services for the homeless.

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor us: St John Ambulance will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.

Thanks for your support!

John and Sarah