I have been lucky enough to follow my husband, Michael Dolan around the world to complete his marathon challenges. We have made many friends and donated our time and energy to many charities during the last few years. 

The London Marathon 2016 was to be his first and only marathon event but he 'got the bug' and the adventures began. He has now completed the all of the World Marathon Majors and the World Marathon Challenge which is to run a marathon on each of the 7 continents including Antarctica. 

His plan to complete his "Grand Slam", which is a marathon at both the North Pole and the South Pole was postponed last year due to the war in Ukraine. However, the tickets are booked and he is off to Svalbard on 8th April 2023  and is due to complete his North Pole Marathon on 13th April 2023 weather permitting.

All the money which is donated goes directly to Guide Dogs. The races are all self funded.

Almost two million people in the UK are living with sight loss that has a significant impact on their daily lives. Of those, around 180,000 rarely leave their homes alone and lead lonely, isolated lives. Guide Dogs works for a world where people with sight loss are never left out of life, for a world where being blind or partially sighted is not what defines you. A world with enough support to make the challenges of sight loss no barrier to fulfilling hopes and dreams.

Our dear friend Paula Hunt is secretary for the Amber Valley Branch of Guide Dogs and Michael has chosen to raise money to support Guide Dogs UK. Michael has been her guide runner in the past and even dressed as a "guide dog" for one of his races. 

Paula says “During one of our running sessions I tripped on a raised stone and I think that's when Michael fully appreciated how challenging living with sight loss is.

We all wish you every success and don't get eaten by a Polar Bear! 

Thankyou for reading our story