Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

First of all apologies for the photo but I have been training during one of the coldest winters for years!

My training has been in preparation for the London Marathon which I will be running on 21st April. It will be just over 14 months since our family friend Simon Fenn passed away after a short and aggressive battle with pancreatic cancer. So I want to take this opportunity to raise some money for the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund in Simon's memory, doing something that Simon loved - running marathons.

Having just turned 29, Simon was a personal trainer and fitness instructor with degrees from three universities - he competed in numerous marathons and triathlons, including three Ironman races and had represented Great Britain in the duathlon. Just before he became ill in October 2011, Simon ran the Amsterdam Marathon in 3 hours and 9 minutes, qualifying him for the elite entrants to the London Marathon. Surely one of the world’s least likely candidates for cancer?

Pancreatic cancer has the lowest survival rate of all cancers - only 3% - and it is the only cancer that has seen no improvement in survival rates in the last 40 years. 8,000 people each year in the UK are diagnosed with this vicious form of cancer and yet it is considerably under-researched. It is a disease that is notoriously difficult to diagnose and treat because it is unusually aggressive, symptoms are often vague and appear at a late stage as with Simon, and surgery is very difficult.

Simon lived his life to the full and was an Ironman in every regard. He bravely faced his illness with courage and dignity, demonstrating the same strength as he did during all of his sporting achievements.

Before he died Simon requested one thing, that everyone take every opportunity to "be the best you can be" - my time won't be anywhere close to Simon's best but I hope I can draw on some of Simon's inspiration just to get round. All funds will go to the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund to help find out more about how to defeat this devastating cancer.

I am supporting Team Zeemon, a charity that has been created in memory of Simon, by his wife and parents, to raise awareness of pancreatic cancer and raise funds. To find out more go to the website www.teamzeemon.org.uk.

Thank you for taking the time to read my page and if you can contribute anything towards my target I will be extremely grateful.

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