My name is John Thompson, and at the ripe old age of 63 I have taken upon myself the challenge of a lifetime in running The Virgin London Marathon.

I only started taking running seriously when I joined my local gym shortly after I turned 50. Since then I have found a love for keeping fit and have completed the Maidstone Half Marathon for the last 5 consecutive years.  

I have been lucky enough to get a place in The London Marathon by raising money in support of The Heart of Kent Hospice.

The Heart of Kent Hospice is a registered charity specialising in palliative care for the people of and the surrounding local communities. The specialist team offers skilled care, comfort, compassion and hope to people facing the challenge of terminal illness.

At any one time they support up to 350 patients, plus their families and carers. As a charity the services they offer are free of charge. However, this does mean that of the £3m that it currently costs per year to provide the care, they have to raise £2.2m from the generosity of the community that they serve.

As many of you know 2004 was a tragic year for our family, with both my mum and my son John passing away within 5 weeks of each other.

My mum spent some of her last weeks at the Heart of Kent Hospice and I know that she thought fondly of the time she spent there and praised the work of the staff.

I also lost a good friend of mine John Taylor, last year. He was suffering from motor neurone disease and was lovingly cared for at the hospice up until he sadly passed away in November 2009.

I am running the marathon in memory of all three and hope to do them proud.

So please dig deep and give me the encouragement I will need to make it to the finish line!!! :-)