I have decided to run the London Marathon on 17th April 2011 to raise money for CHASE children's hospice. This is a charity that I have had the pleasure of supporting back in 2008 when I took part in a London - Paris cycle. On the route, we visited the Guildford hospice and were very moved at the care and support that this place offers to terminally ill children and their families across SW London, Surrey and Sussex. The hospice receives no government funding and relies entirely on charitable donations such as yours, so please dig deep and sponsor me as much as you possibly can.

For my part, I've never run a marathon (or even a half marathon) before and so I've been training since the New Year, building up the distance with each week that passes. I've run in a Norwegian blizzard, a Cape Town summer and through the British winter so I will hopefully be prepared for whatever weather is thrown at me on the day!