Hi guys,

As some of you may or may not be aware, back in November, following an evening of gentle coercion and a steady supply of gin, I signed up to the Paris marathon. Those of you who know me well, or have only met me a few times, or have just seen me from a distance, will know I am no sportsman. In fact I have spent the last 25 years of my life actively avoiding exercise. But this is happening, and I need your money. Here are three reasons why you should donate:

1. The Cause – I am raising money for the Stroke Association, a fantastic charity whose work helps hundreds of thousands of stroke sufferers and their families around the country.  I chose the charity as it is close to my family’s heart, plus I look BLOODY good in purple. Read about their work here: stroke.org.uk Please donate.

2. “The Laughter Factor” – the reaction of those who I told face-to-face that I signed up for the Paris marathon was universal: laughter. To those people, I say the following: if the size of your donation is directly proportional to the heartiness of your laugh then I will reach my £1500 target with ease. You do the math. I have called this “The Laughter Factor”. Please donate

3. First and Last? – Over the years I have watched as friends and family have performed incredible feats for charity: running marathons, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, cycling hundreds of miles, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, completed triathlons and, lest we forget, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. I, rather selflessly, have donated to all (/some) of these causes from the comfort and safety of my own home. But now it’s my turn. This may be the first and last time I do something worthy of a charitable donation – don’t miss your opportunity to repay the favour. Please donate.

I will be hugely thankful for any donation you can make, big or small, and if you are feeling particularly generous then I urge to you take a look at the Just Giving pages of my very good friends, training partners and fellow athletes, below (particularly Tom’s because I wrote it).

Merci,

Will x

Tom – justgiving.com/TomBreakeyParis

Pete – justgiving.com/PeterHowarthParis

Sam – justgiving.com/SamWalfordParis