Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page for the Great North Run 2009.

The Bet

On New Year's Eve 2009 I made a bet with Hayley that I would run a half marathon without walking; unfortunately when I woke up later on the 1st January I still remembered. Being a man of my word I immediately signed up for the Great North Run and was one of the lucky ones to get a place. Rather than making this into some personal challenge, I really wanted this to be about someone, about a charity that myself and a number of my friends have contributed to over the last few years.

Hazel's Footprints Trust

Hazel's Footprints is a fantastic charity jointly set up by my friend David Mortimer in honour of Hazel Aiton who was tragically killed in a car crash in August 2004. During her gap year she had spent a signficant proportion of her time with over 300 children in the at the Otjikondo Village School in Namibia, Africa. It was a year that changed her life and her outlook on life – both for the better. David and the rest of the Trustees felt that there was no better way than to honour Hazel by continuing the work of volunteers and helping them to experience the life-enhancing joys and challenges of working with people in less privileged environments around the world.

Please donate just a small amount for my run. You will be in great company as those before you have contributed towards other challenges such as climbing Kilimanjaro, rallying to Mongolia, or even climbing to Everest's base camp.

Thank you all so much and hopefully I might see some of you at the finish!