Thanks to everyone who has donated and please feel free to keep doing so! We've raised an incredible amount and I finished the race in 3 hours 59 minutes 31 seconds so only just hit my sub-4 hour target, but it feels great to have done so. Was a real struggle 22 miles in but I'm already thinking of the next one to try and do better!

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On the 22nd of May I will be running the Edinburgh Marathon.

 

As a lot of people know, I have suffered from Crohn’s disease for over 7 years. It’s a condition which is incurable, and with unknown causes. For me it meant I suffered stomach cramps many, many times a day, massive weight loss (I weighed about 6 stone at one point), had very little energy to do anything other than just get through the day, was sick, often caught other illnesses because my immune system was lowered by the drugs I took. When it was at its worst, I spent 4 years going on and off treatment which meant I couldn’t eat anything for long periods – I added up the time I spent not eating food and it was at least a year of those 4. That’s a lot. Obviously back then there was no way I could even contemplate doing this – I even gave up playing football, and as a goalie I didn’t have to run far, which shows you what a massive step this is.

 

Luckily for me, after years of suffering I was able to get a drug which, so far, has kept all my symptoms under control and given me the energy to live a normal life.

 

There was a fight to get this drug available for other patients, and throughout that I was involved with Crohn’s and Colitis UK, a charitable organisation who put me forward as a patient witness.

 

Crohn’s and Colitis UK provide support for people with IBD and their families. They train people to provide listening and support to patients and their families through phone services. They help increase awareness of the disease and fight for patient access to treatment. Equally, they support research, with a fund which has helped over 100 projects. Almost all of the costs have to be paid for by independent fundraising, especially at this difficult economic time, since corporate sponsorship falls well short of expenditure and this isn’t a glamorous charity. That's why I am raising money for them.

 

Please donate anything you can. 26.2 miles is a long way; the average time put down by a man is about 4 hours 30 minutes. I am aiming to run it in well under 4 hours, but to just complete it would be an incredible symbol of how far I have come in my life, no longer being restricted in what I do by being sick. Now I can dictate my life, and I want to contribute, I want to make a difference, and your support would be wonderful.

 

You can follow my training at www.ccruns.blogspot.com

Crohn’s and Colitis UK: www.crohnsandcolitis.org.uk