Mike: I have never had a good enough reason to run a marathon, despite having wanted to do it for a long time, but that all changed when my 15 year old niece was diagnosed with MS. Katya is energetic, sporty, full of life.  Her diagnosis has changed not only her life, but our whole family's.  So, myself and my mate, Sam, who also has experience of MS in his family, decided to sign up and raise money for MS UK. Our target is £2,000 each which, although not a small sum, we are confident we can raise it with the help of all of you, our friends, families and colleagues.  Any donation, no matter how small, will be a massive incentive for us to kick the 26.2 miles ass while hopefully having some fun along the way. Plus, every penny will make the cold, dark nights slightly more tolerable during training.

Sam's Marathon Challenge- and I don't mean a chocolate bar!!! Last Christmas I was tipping the scales at 20 stone. I was a right porker. If I tried to run for a bus...no I never ran for anything.  And here am I going to run 26.2 miles without stopping for a kebab or pints of lager along the way. Quite a change from my previous lifestyle.  The large cod, battered sausage, large chips and Thai Fishcake have been replaced with kale and quinoa and the weight has dropped. (See pic!) I am ready for the next challenge - training for the London Marathon. My good friend Michael and I both have good reasons to want to raise money and improve the lives of people with multiple sclerosis and for their families. His 15 year old niece's life has been turned upside down and my sister's mother in-law has been living with the disease for nearly 30 years. It is an awful condition for them but also those close to them.  I want to do something to make their lives the best they can be. Michael and I over the coming months will be training like mad to make sure we can complete the marathon and raise as much money as we can.