Hi Friends,

Last month People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) opened a month-long challenge to raise money for the animals by inviting members of the public to undertake a self-propelled marathon, by any means and any number of sessions they wanted. That meant it could have been swimming, biking, crawling, rolling, etc. The secondary goal of the challenge was to encourage the participants to get fit after months of lockdown.

I joined up and had a great time walking (yep, just walking) 26.2 miles in a single day. It was the first time I’ve travelled that far on my own steam and it took me just over 9.5 hours. With your help, we raised a total of £275, which was fantastic and complete success!

I’m now going to participate in the Virtual London Marathon on October 4^th 2020, and once again I intend to raise money for PETA.

Because of current circumstances, the iconic event has had to deviate from its usual course - quite literally - by going virtual. On 4 October, participants will have a full 24 hours to run the 26.2-mile distance from anywhere in the world.

PETA relies entirely on donations to carry out our life-saving work to get animals out of laboratories, fur farms, and other horrific places, and the money you raise will be put to the best possible use in achieving more crucial victories to help them.

I don’t think I can run the entirety of the race just yet. I’m still building up my fitness levels after years of personal neglect and working from a desk. That said, I want to complete the distance in under 6 hours, shaving over 3.5 hours off of my previous time. I think this is achievable as I’m planning a route that involves less of a climb, I’ve got a much better idea on how much (and what type of) food and hydration to take, and I’m picking a more scenic route to keep my mind fresh and interested for most of the journey.

For those who have already donated to PETA during my previous challenge, all I ask of you is to help spread the word, like this post and share your company with me again as I prepare and complete the upcoming London Virtual Marathon.

For everyone else, I’d also love for you to share what I’m up to and to have a laugh with me along the way. And (if you can) please consider a donation to help those without a voice of their own.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Kindest Regards,

James