Having spent most of 2022 trying to undo a decade of bad fitness habits, I am determined to keep going - and then some! - in 2023.  I have set myself four sizeable challenges for the year: 

1. Running the Paris marathon on 2 April; 

2. Completing the Peak District Challenge (a 50km ultramarathon across the Peak District, including 5,000 ft of ascents/descents) on 9 July; 

3. Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro (nearly 20,000 ft of ascent over 6 days) in August; and 

4. Running the New York marathon (with a very ambitious target time of 3h30) on 5 November. 

To help spur me on during the many forthcoming dark and wet early morning training sessions, I am also going to try to raise some money for a great cause in the process.

Carney's Community is a brilliant charity which works with disadvantaged young people and ex-offenders, using intensive mentoring and a range of activities (including boxing, yoga, bike maintenance and cooking classes) as engagement tools to get them off the streets and help them improve their lives.  

The mentoring that Carneys Community offers is unique. Many of their beneficiaries report being passed between different agencies (one young person had to tell his story to 40 different professionals before accessing support) which can lead to young people feeling frustrated, and disengaging from support services. At Carneys Community, a young person builds a trusting relationship with a single consistent person; this relationship lasts as long as the young person needs.  

I would be hugely grateful for any support.