Monsal Trail Half Marathon - Sunday 26th March

London marathon: Sunday 23rd April

Edinburgh Half Marathon:Sunday 28th May

Black Country Half Marathon: Sunday 22nd Jul 

Belfast Half Marathon: Sunday 17th September 

Dublin Half Marathon: Sunday 24rd September

Cardiff Half Marathon: Sunday 1st October

It's now been over two years since I lost my clever, funny, brave and adventurous mother to a vile, destructive and insidious disease. Cancer took away my Mum's independence, dignity and passion for life. It robbed a husband of his wife, a son and daughter of their mother and a kindhearted, fundamentally good person of the many joys and experiences that she should have had to come. 

I don't think I will ever be able to accept or understand why it had to happen; to me this is a total waste of a life that was filled with happiness and adventure and should have continued to be so for a very long time. 

The only way I have ever been able to make sense of this awful experience is to try to make some meaning out of it. In the last two years, I have endeavored to raise as much money as I can for cancer-related charities.  I want the world to be somehow better, for someone's life to be slightly easier, because my Mum existed in the world and other people were inspired to do good because of her. This time, it's the turn of Macmillan, who do incredible work supporting people through the myriad indignities, inconveniences and challenges that people suffering from cancer are forced to endure. 

So I am running the London Marathon 2017, as well as the Edinburgh, Belfast and Cardiff Half Marathons, and aiming to raise as much money as I am able in Sue Butler's name. Those of you who know me well or have had your Facebook feed spammed with my various race pictures know that I'm getting pretty good at the half marathon distance, however the full 26.2 still seems like a fairly daunting challenge. I'll also be organising a few fundraising events along the way that I hope many of you will get involved in. I decided I wasn't crazy enough to sign up for just a Marathon and thought that upping the stakes might increase the donations!

Please give as generously as you can - I mean it when I say they are such a deserving cause. Donate because you loved Sue, donate because you love me, donate because the day has finally come when one in two of us will be diagnosed with cancer, donate because you would want yourself or your loved ones to be treated with such a high standard of care in your darkest hour, donate because this senseless death has to mean something; something good must come out of it.

Please donate :)

Thank you in advance xxx