Hello and thanks in advance for stopping by…

My name’s Matt and I’m going to use my free-time to play my part, however small, in crushing cancer. And I’m going to have a lot of fun doing it! 

The short-version is that, in July 2015, I found out that somebody close to me had Bowel Cancer and it shook my world. To fight the pain, stress, anxiety and hopelessness that I felt, I simply started running. 

Read on for more....

I started on a treadmill, in the gym, but then I began running outside. It was summer so the weather was great and it really helped to relieve the pain. I should also add that I am a bit of a nomad, so although I travelled around a lot, I continued to run each morning. Same distance, but in a different City. London, New York, Austin, San Francisco, Florida, Las Vegas, Los Angeles… it didn’t really matter. I just kept running, exploring and meeting different people.

And I haven’t seen a treadmill since….

I guess you might say that I have an addictive personality. Once I start something, I can’t stop. Running, quite quickly, became my new hit. Traditionally, I’d work late at night and drag myself out of bed at 9am, arriving into work around 11am. But Running had changed me. I now felt energised and my sleeping patterns had changed too. I’d wake up at 7am, running 2 miles before work. It soon become 4 miles, then 6. 3 times a week, then 5 , now every day and longer runs at weekends. 

I couldn’t get enough of it! 

The effects of running have helped me to feel less anxious and have given me greater focus. I am an entrepreneur (for use of a better word) and the pressure can be crippling when I’m not over the moon. I choose it and cherish the highs, but during the lows, I often suffer in silence. I run an ideas lab for many years and now I am working on a new idea called Doppels, based in Los Angeles. I have built a reputation for having great vision and with focus, I execute well. I do have a short attention span, though, which has enabled me to juggle and manage a lot of pressure, but it has pitfalls, as I have a distorted mindset. I think I can have and do everything, at the same time! My plate has always been overloaded like a Vegas buffet and although I do my best to keep eating, one can only handle so much.

Running has helped me to balance this out.

So with my new found physique, stamina and a more focused state of mind, I’d decided that this had to be put to good use. Going back to the original reason I started running in the first place, somebody very close to me discovered cancer of the bowel, last Summer. 

So naturally, I’ve decided to run for this particular cause and have chosen the Bobby Moore Fund for Bowel Cancer Research in the UK as my charity. I am a supporter of West Ham United and Bobby Moore was a legend and an idol to everyone connected to the football club. The greatest captain West Ham and England will ever have.

Bobby Moore was just 51 years old when he died. The Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK was set up by Stephanie Moore MBE, Bobby’s widow, in his memory to fund pioneering, life-saving bowel cancer research.

Since the fund was set up in 1993 mortality rates have fallen 30% and over £22 million has been raised for research, but we still have so much more to do.

Every penny that I raise, will help towards fighting the Cancer and I plan to keep going until I hit an initial milestone of £100,000.

There is no time-limit on achieving the above goal. I don’t want to put any additional pressure on myself, (full plate, etc) but I’ll just keep enjoying doing some good, until it happens.

Thanks for your support! I'm really excited to be doing something great and contributing to fighting Cancer and I feel much happier and focused, as a result.

Cheers,

*M@