When I took up running several years back in my mid forties, my target was to one day complete a half marathon in under two hours, and I never dreamed of being able to run the full marathon distance. Inspired by the marathon endeavours of my two daughters, Anna and Emily, in London, Barcelona, and Beijing, and having met several inspiring individuals at Leonard Cheshire events, both fundraisers and those who have been helped by the charity, I decided that 2020 was the year to be on the other side of the barriers raising money for a fantastic charity.

Leonard Cheshire supports disabled individuals in the UK and overseas to live, learn and work independently, whatever their ability, by breaking down barriers to achieve their full potential. Led by people with experience of disability, they are at the heart of local life - opening doors to opportunity, choice and support in communities around the globe.

Last year the charity supported 40,000 across the UK, Africa and Asia. One in five of us, our friends or loved ones, will face disability at some point in our lives, maybe following an accident or due to a progressive or life changing illness. In 2020 Leonard Cheshire will support more than fifty thousand individuals in fifteen countries.

During the long, dark, cold winter training runs, and if I hit "The Wall" on race day itself, I will keep reminding myself of the determination of a young man called Dan, who I met just two weeks after Neil joined Leonard Cheshire. The charity helped Dan after a diving accident in the Colombian Amazon left him paralysed from the shoulders down in his early twenties. He spent a year in hospital, fighting for his life, and then six years living in a Leonard Cheshire home. Dan's dream during this emotionally and physically challenging time was to be able to move on, to live independently, and to use his experience to help others. He now lives in his own flat and runs a charity transforming the lives of kids from the slums of Colombia by offering apprenticeship-style training schemes.

Thank you in advance for all your donations. However large or small, these will enable people like Dan to fulfil their goals and dreams, whatever they are and wherever they are.

My own dream for marathon day itself is to get round intact and in under four hours! Some may say this is ambitious, but as one of my business lecturers once said "Set your goals and be prepared to pay the price in advance" - I have my Asics and training plan at the ready and, as the Chinese say, I am ready to 吃苦 , which translates literally as "eat pain"!! Wish me luck.