***THANKS FOR ALL YOUR GOOD WISHES. FINISHED IN 3 HOURS 43 MINS! JUST GOT A PLACE FOR LONDON 2011***

When people ask me why I run, I say: “Because it’s simple, it costs nothing and it beats golf.”

It’s just you, your legs and the open road.

Once you take up running, you start thinking about testing yourself in organised races. And you run faster with a definite objective in mind. I now have a few half marathons under my belt, ones in Edinburgh, Reading, Nottingham, and the Run to the Beat race in South London. But these always felt like the hors d’oeuvre to the big meal ticket.

So next Sunday, 7 November, I shall be pulling on my running shoes for my first full marathon in New York – 26.2 miles from Staten Island through Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan, ending in Central Park. 

Why I'm running
Like my other runs and the Coast to Coast walk from St Bees to Robin Hood’s Bay in 2008, I’ll be running NYC for Alzheimer’s Research, a great charity which is funding pioneering work into prevention and treatments for the condition, improving public understanding of dementia and supporting carers and their families.

As many of you know, mum was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s at the age of 55. It is an undiscriminating illness. She was a county badminton player, top club tennis player and a pretty useful runner, as well as being an inspiration to lead an active life.

I really appreciate your support and kind donations. Thank you.