Race completed! 

This page is my small dedication to Stephen Hawking's work, which continues to this day. I know that he has supported motor neurone charities in the past, hence this choice of the MNDA. From 1991-1995 I was lucky and privileged to be a PhD student of Stephen. I don't need to add that he has led a much inspiring life, not just for his 40 or so students since 1965, but for pretty much anyone globally that has become aware of his story and life.

Further, I have a profoundly disabled step-brother, now in his 30s, who had a car accident at the age of 18. Living in a different town and meeting after I was a teenager, we have not really connected as we might have. He is a happy guy; he has people who love him and care for him there with him all the time.

3 years ago I went to Mora, Sweden and did the 27 mile Halvvasan ski marathon, and then went to Pontresina, Switzerland for the similar-distance Engadin ski marathon 11 days later. 

This time, I managed to get a place to do the famous Vasaloppet ski marathon. On 16 March 2014, 15,800 people booked their place online in less than 90 seconds! The Vasaloppet is the longest and oldest such race in the world, at 90km or 56 miles. It therefore matches the distance from 3 years ago - in principle, all in one day! I was due to start in the unseeded back group. 

I know that a lot of people are fundraising each with their own story and charity of choice, so any help on this page is much appreciated. 

May I suggest 

1. a pound a mile that I completed? (£56 - the distance skied is the same as Cambridge to Central London...and then another 8 miles towards the South!)

or 

2. a penny for every person I go past? (£18.72! I was upgraded from the very back group to the group just in front of those unseeded, but was still stuck in "traffic" especially at the start but throughout the race.)

or 

3. as little £5 

or 

4. whatever you would like to contribute. 

Much appreciated. Thanks!

I would like to thank my wife, Diana, for putting up with me in all this, and for her also taking up the sport even when this might not have been an interest; she has taken lessons, allowed our older son to ski with me while looking after and skiing with our younger son on training holidays in cold Austria, when a beach trip might have been preferred! She has even fractured limbs as a result of taking part in this sometimes treacherous cross-country skiing activity.

On reaching 3km to go of 90km on Sunday during the race, I took a call from Diana and the boys and they were with me in my headset from then to the finishing line, there not being a live-stream easily findable that day. That was a great moment, after a truly heavy, slow, variously icy, wet and slushy day of skiing up and downhills.

Justin Hayward

Cambridge, February 16 2015 (updated March 10)

p.s. Thank you to EmmaHiggCN (feature writer) and David Johnston (photos) for the 2-page spread in Cambridge Evening News on March 6!