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After a few years of dabbling in ultra marathons, one (almost) 100 mile race, and two completions of the Lakeland 50 well within the requisite 16 hour qualifying time to be deemed capable of having a bash at the 'big one', I have a place in the 2020 Lakeland 100. In actual fact this is a 105 mile circumnavigation of the Lake District, starting and finishing in Coniston, with well over 20,000ft of ascent on some pretty gnarly terrain. Competitors have 40 hours to complete the course and it's highly likely I'll need every minute of this. It's so much more than twice as long as its shorter sibling; the drop out rate is significant and there's a tonne of stuff that could go wrong. No one should confuse the fact of me having dragged my carcass over some fairly long miles with actual athleticism - I'm not a good runner, rather I'm a bit stubborn and have a reasonably high tolerance for suffering! 

Why? Because running, training, routine, physical hard work, being outside, and - more important than any of the above - the brilliant friends I've made as a consequence of this daft hobby, keep me sane. I am not always comfortable in my own skin and belief in myself isn't something I'm over-burdened with, but setting goals and completing challenges go some way to off-setting the fog of self doubt that otherwise prevents me from doing so much.

In short, sport is ace and has so much worth beyond the obvious physical benefits. Epic Kidz gives a tonne of money to volunteer organisations that get kids into sport who might not otherwise be given the opportunity. They also support a shedload of volunteer groups who do genuinely amazing work. They're all about equality, inclusivity, and kindness and I couldn't be prouder to be running in support of them.

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.