So earlier this year (April '17) I "ran" the Brighton Marathon for NAS to help raise awareness for those on the autism spectrum - especially a couple of my nephews.

I say "ran". Truth be told I only managed 8 training runs and the longest was only 10 miles so come race day I only managed to run the first 18 miles and had to conduct some strange walk/hobble the majority of the second half of the race all the while moaning to a poor chap I met en route and Facebooking my woes to the world. I'm too embarrassed to even look at what time I got!!

On the "raising awareness" front I only managed to raise a measly £500 ish which isn't likely to go very far. My new friend Stuart (above) got a good earful but I don't think it's fair to count that as "raising awareness".

I think it's reasonable to say I failed both of my marathon objectives.

I don't tend to take failure particularly well so I've decided not just to give it another go but this time to up the ante:

The London Marathon is one of the biggest in the world and I have managed to blag myself a place. Now I don't expect to get anywhere close to the current 2hr 4min 40s record and I don't expect to trump Sir Steve Redgrave's £1.8m sponsorship but I AM going to beat 4 hours 30 and I AM going to achieve at least the minimum £1800 sponsorship target.

Learning from past experience, my recipe for success is pretty simple and requires just 2 steps.

1. I'm going to train.

2. I'm going to ask for sponsorship.

So this is me doing that second bit. Please will you sponsor me? This is the only time I've asked for significant sponsorship since 2012 when I cycled from London to Paris and it's the only time I'm likely to ask for it for another 5 years. NAS is a great charity and they are doing great work so your money will be spent wisely.

Forego that extra pint this week. Walk instead of taking that uber to the station. Tell your kid there is no pocket money this week. However you can justify it please stick your hand in your pocket and donate what you can and feel good about it!

Thanks,

Tim

x

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.