Updated on May 12th 2010 at 5:25 PM using the JustGiving iPhone app

Just as an update for you, my training is going well and I've now done over 8km twice (more than I've ever run!) Please do continue to donate as its a great cause and it'll continue to motivate me! Bring on Sunday!

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Yes, you may have thought this was a joke..."Mark running?" you ask!  Well you have read this correctly!  And while I have hardly dabbled in sport since leaving school nearly 7years ago, I have donned my shorts and started to get rid of the weight that 3 years of fatty office lunches have given me!  So I ask you... nay, I beg you to dig deep and cheer me on with your support.  10k is a long way for someone to run, especially someone who is sat in front of a computer for the largest part of his day!  I would love to be thinking about all the money raised and race round the course supporting the good work of the Christie.

So I am running this for The Christie.  The Christie is one of Europe’s leading cancer centres, treating over 40,000 patients a year. They are based in Manchester and serve a population of 3.2 million across Greater Manchester & Cheshire, but as a national specialist around 26% of patients are referred to them from other parts of the country.

Although I have never needed to visit the Christie, I know that its work is valued by thousands of people a year.  While suffering from cancer, my aunt was treated at the Christie, and it offered excellent support to my uncle and cousins during this time.  A personal story that touched me was that instead of receiving gifts for their wedding, my cousin Carl asked people to donate to the Christie, depriving his wife of the towels,  toaster and crockery that were on my wedding list!

We provide radiotherapy through one of the largest radiotherapy departments in the world; chemotherapy on site and through 14 other hospitals; highly specialist surgery for complex and rare cancer; and a wide range of support and diagnostic services.

The Christie provide many different services:  They are also an international leader in research, with world first breakthroughs for over 100 years, and run one of the largest early clinical trial units in Europe with over 300 trials every year. Cancer research in Manchester, most of which is undertaken on the Christie site, has been officially ranked the best in the UK.

With your money, they are currently implementing an ambitious five-year strategy which breaks new ground and is set to transform treatment and care for cancer patients. A £72 million investment plan over the next two years includes a new £35 million patient treatment centre, which will include the largest early clinical trials unit in the world – and a unique network of £17 million Christie radiotherapy centres in other parts of the area to deliver treatment closer to people’s homes. 

Over the last few years the Christie have launched the nationally applauded Manchester Versus Cancer alliance to improve the early diagnosis of cancer, and helped launch the Manchester Cancer Research Centre in partnership with The University of Manchester and Cancer Research UK. 

So please do give and give generously.  Every penny you give will provide me more motivation and all of it goes to a good cause.

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 and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.