I work as the RNLI's Case Study Manager, helping share people's stories of being helped by - and helping - this incredible charity. I had planned to run the Edinburgh Marathon for myself in May 2020 but that now has been postponed twice and deferred to 2022 (hopefully in Edinburgh). Instead, I've been training to run a virtual marathon (the full 26.2 miles anywhere) on 30 May 2021. So, as it's Mayday, I now plan to run the distance for the RNLI, as I did for the London Marathon in 2019. I'll start at my home in Wimborne and run via the RNLI's Support Centre (my office, where I haven't been since last March), Poole RNLI Lifeboat Station, Poole Lifeboat Museum (old lifeboat station) and along the seafront from Sandbanks to Southbourne and back to Sandbanks, taking in all the RNLI beach lifeguard huts along the way. The RNLI has answered mayday calls for nearly 200 years, from those called from sinking fishing boats, to families swimming on busy beaches, to dog walkers cut off by the tide. It's the most urgent plea, used by mariners when life is in immediate danger and when their lifesavers hear those words they launch courageously into the unknown to help those who rely on their help. This May, as summer approaches, they're the ones sending out a mayday call. As we look forward to 2021 and beyond, they know that they'll be facing the busiest summer season for the lifesavers to come. And to keep them safe, ready and knowing they can handle whatever the summer brings, they need our help. They're counting on us to answer their call and take on the Mayday Mile. Our support will help the crew stand strong as our busiest summer season approaches.