Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I never know how to start these things, but here goes... this whole idea started for me on Wednesday 29th August 2018, only this idea wasn't mine. Unfortunately this day would be the final time I would see and speak to one of my best friends.

At the time this was a normal day, we'd arranged to go for dinner with another close friend and Laura's housemate Tessa. Unfortunately Tessa had to bail due to sickness but that didn't stop Laura and I, so we met in Leicester Square and continued on for dinner. It was a lovely evening and in hindsight, I'm so fortunate and pleased that we didn't cancel as we'd discussed doing.

It was at this dinner Laura revealed to me her latest goal, to run the London Landmarks Half Marathon, I think spurred on by the desire to get fitter and challenge herself simultaneously. She already had a place and training naturally would begin as far from today as possible. Obviously not one to turn down a good laugh, I promised to go watch from the sidelines on the day.

We now fast forward a week and a half to Sunday 9th September 2018, the day so many lives of people I know so well changed, and sadly, one ended. 

It started with a text from Tessa asking me if I'd heard from Laura, which I hadn't since a few days earlier, as she wasn't returning her messages. This in itself wasn't unusual, Laura would often read messages on her home screen and reply later, sometimes an hour later, sometimes a week later. However, the next message I received that day was to inform me Laura had passed away overnight, at the ripe old age of 26.

Laura battled with diabetes through most of the time I knew her, leading to countless injections, a few hospital visits, jogs home and back to download more episodes of Suits and a few hours joking about how her "stupid drip keeps on blocking and setting off alarms...". Unfortunately it appears as though diabetes won the battle in the end.

It was a great honour and my privilege to have shared so much time with Laura since I met her 8 years ago. Sharing a home in our final uni year, meals, nights out, friends and holidays. She was a fantastic person and is a true loss to people who knew her, never highlighted more by the fact that friends flew in from Spain and China to attend the celebration of her life.

And that really is the reason I am doing this half marathon, because she can't and it was quite literally what she wanted. Do I believe she'd have done the training and done it? Knowing Laura, I wouldn't like to say for sure, but on that final Wednesday together she was adamant she would be there on the Sunday 24th March 2019, and although it'll be someone else in a jersey with her name on, she will be there in spirit and she will get round those 13 miles.

Please donate as generously as you can and an enormous thank you in advance for your kindness.

Johnny