This coming Sunday (12th November) my brother, William, and I will be tackling the daunting Athens Authentic Marathon! We have decided to take on this challenge in aid of the fantastic Children In Need and we would be immensely grateful for your support of this incredible cause. 

The equally heart-warming and heart-wrenching stories of suffering children and selfless carers will be broadcast on 17^th November and we would love to play our part in helping Children In Need make a meaningful difference to the countless lives of disabled children and
young people in the UK.

After William’s blinding performance in the Rome Marathon in April this year, I felt it was my turn to step up to the plate. Luckily the thought of running around another ancient city laced with temples and statues was enough to persuade William to do it all over again! So after a little over 6 months of training, the moment is almost upon us to take to the streets of Athens.

The thought of going to Greece particularly excites us, not only because we squeeze in a few days holiday, but also the historical factor plays heavily into our interests. So legend has it, the race gained its name after the Greek messenger Pheidippides ran from the Battle of Marathon to Athens to announce the Greek’s victory over the Persians, where he promptly collapsed and died. I only hope we don’t follow the same fate.

We are both tremendously looking forward to joining the 18,000 runners and hoping to etch our own  histories into the race. The pain of running a marathon is well recognised, but the knowledge that our pain may help to ease the lifelong suffering of children across the UK will be the greatest motivation of all. Please, please give generously!