Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I've always wanted to run a marathon and after a summer of Olympic inspiration and much deliberating on my part I've decided to take the plunge and sign up. Other than needing a real focus in my life for various reasons and the sense of overwhelming pride I will feel at the end, I have two main reasons for wanting to do this and they are as follows:

Two of my best friends both named Mark suffer greatly with Crohn's and in early December one of them will be having an operation, which will hopefully help to improve a long standing complaint. This condition has a massive impact on their daily lives, impeding them from comfortably taking part in things we take for granted. I would love to see the day, that they could both feel confident in completing a full day without any issues. So, anything I can do by raising money for this wonderful charity the better.

On a personal note I've wanted to quit smoking for a long time, but i've never been fully comitted and have failed more times than I can remember. So what better way to force me to quit than by undertaking this challenge. I'm happy to report that i've not smoked since the 27th October 2012 and long may it continue.

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 and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.