As anyone with a sibling knows, there is always an element of sibling rivalry that exists in this relationship. So, having already run two marathons, when Tom asked me if I wanted to run the Amsterdam marathon with him, Kate and Chris I immediately said yes to prove that I could beat him. And then in March my Dad had a stroke and, at the risk of sounding like a sob story from the X Factor, everything changed and the whole marathon thing took on an entirely different aspect. We are now running not out of competition (although could definitely well beat him) but to raise money for the stroke unit at George Eliot hospital, who not only provided such wonderful support during what was a truly awful time for my family, but went out of their way to provide such excellent care that Dad made what the nurses could only describe as a miraculous recovery. We will forever be grateful to them for all that they did for us, and we will forever be grateful to you if you could sponsor us a couple of pennies to help us say thank you to the Felix Holt ward at George Eliot Hospital and to ensure that the excellent level of care continues for the next poor sod that has a stroke.