Dear all,
Many thanks for all the various messages of support and ridicule!
For you unbelievers out there (I think my Mother was probably top of the list!), I somehow managed to drag myself round all 26.2 miles of the course and finish in a respectable 4 hours 15 mins and 44 secs (by the chip on my trainer rather than the gun time shown on one of the photos!). I never realised that there were quite so many hills on Guernsey - it was a tough old course with the first 6 miles and last 5 miles all uphill.

Anyway, my new physical challenge is manoevring up our very steep stairs on all fours and down them on my backside!

Many, many thanks for all your donations to the Get Kids Going charity. If you haven't managed to make a donation yet, and would like to do so, my web page (http://www.justgiving.com/Eleanor-Stack) will be open for another few months.

Eleanor xxxx

Welcome to the final installment of Eleanor's "Turning 30" crisis...which some of you may have worked out has lasted a few years now!

Apologies for the last minute arrangements for sponsorship but I did not want to darken anyone's door before ensure my safe return (all limbs intact) from a week mountain biking in the Alps!

The reason I'm running my first marathon in Guernsey is that my Ship, HMS DARING, is affiliated to the island so the event organisers suggested that it would be a great idea to have some representatives taking part in their annual marathon. I've never quite learnt the art of saying "No" so here I am about to run my first one on an island which has some rather steep hills and can be rather hot at this time of year! Anyway, your support will of great help to me as I plod round the route (I'm not exactly designed for speed!) and it's for a great charity. Many thanks for your help - I'll be sure to let you all know how I get on!