"Only mad dogs and English women go out in the midnight sun". (Jessica Element, Cardiff, 2011)

Not a truer word was said. I am running the Tromso Half Marathon on 25th June 2011 and in doing so I hope to raise money for the Parkinson's Disease Society. My Granddad suffered terribly with this debilitating disease and I am aiming to raise as much as I possibly can for the cause.

The run itself will be fantastic - the sun does not set fully in Norway from the end of May to the beginning of August every year so I will literally be running in the midnight sun (and hopefully nailing a PB too! Under 1:40 would be awesome).

My fabulous friend Imogen is running the full marathon and good luck to her - one marathon with Imo has proven enough for me (Berlin 2008). Imo's hubbie Matt is running the half with me - perhaps you'll all consider sponsoring me more if I finish before he does?! Ha! He'll kill me when he reads this...

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the Parkinson's Disease Society UK and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now. It is *such* a worthy cause and one close to my heart. Thank you for all your donations.

Jess xxx