Hello, how are you?

By the way, the first line is because I am genuinely interested in how you are and would love to hear from you, please feel free to drop me a line, to which I promise to reply.

Has that got your attention and are you reading me?  Please continue to the end.

Last year I had the bright idea of tackling a few yummy challenges in 2019.  Events that shook me out of any supposed comfort zone and helped to keep me grounded.  After all, I was in danger of thinking I was a bit 'clever', having successfully completed ten marathons in ten days as part of the Brathay Ten in Ten (2018), six of which were endured with shin splints.  So, I devised a 'menu' - which I'm adding little surprise courses too as the year goes on - upon which to dine.

·     Grizedale Forest February 2019 - 4hrs 36mins

·     Northumberland Coastal Marathon February 2019 - 4hrs 56mins

·     Millennium Way Ultra March 2019 - 7hrs 32mins

·     Brathay 10in10 May 2019 - 42hrs 59mins

·     Brathay 262 June 2019 - 24hrs 22mins

·     Lakeland Trails 100k June 2019 - 17hrs 36mins

·     Montane Lakes 50 July 2019 - 12hrs 42mins

·     York Marathon October 2019 - 3hrs 37mins

·     Snowdonia Marathon October 2019 - 3hrs 54mins

-     Newcastle Town Moor Marathon November 2019 - 4hrs 9mins

Munching through these events with the aim of raising as much money as possible for Brathay Trust by doing nothing out of the ordinary, just putting one foot in front of the other a few times.

You've seen and read of my appetite for sweat and tears, perhaps if I manage to bleed for Brathay, you might be jabbed into feeling the desire to donate, please.  My aim is to continue to help Brathay in its mission to inspire young people and families to make positive changes that will last a lifetime.  I hope and expect that my efforts will in some way give someone the spark to help change their life.

For the record, I'm not being selfless, these challenges help me to repair me, to try to atone for my past and how I've previously let myself and others down.  I've been sober since 18th January 2016, I'm doing something worthwhile, and whilst I don't want to broadcast my seemingly random act of kindness I have to beseech you for your charity, for your donations, for your cold hard cash and the optimal way, it seems, of doing this is by spreading the word across social media and any other medium which will publish, listen and broadcast.  Please, I need your help to raise funds for Brathay to enable them to carry on their good work with people that you or I may never meet. Your hard-earned money, regardless of the amount will help and I am genuinely grateful.

Like most charities this is worthwhile, I wouldn't support it if I didn't believe in it, I am after all no different to you, but I want to do something special for others, I've lifted these words from Matt Campbell's JustGiving page https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mattcampbell-londonmarathon

'Ordinary people doing extraordinary things’.

I hope you think so?

Thanks for reading and I hope you feel it right to donate and do indeed do so.

Best

Duncan