Hello charitable people,

Thanks for seeking out my JustGiving page, which will chart my fund-rasing progress ahead of the 2013 London Marathon, which took place on April 21. 

It was my second London Marathon - in 2008 I managed to jog the 26.2 miles in three hours, 49 minutes (I blogged about the amazing day here) - and I was five minutes slower this time around, trotting in at 3:53.08. It was hot and another brilliant day, made even-more special after the horrific scenes in Boston the previous week.

Up until the end of May there will be time for you to donate through this page to Dreams Come True, who kindly laid on a post-marathon massage and bowl of pasta.

WHY SHOULD I DIG DEEP?

You may ask. True, we are in the cloudy mire of an economic depression, but once you read about the superb charity I'm representing you will (hopefully) realise that time - and money, for those with a lack of time left - is so, so important.

As T.S. Eliot wrote in The Waste Land (Burial of the Dead) April is the cruellest month. My training regime was gruelling for the marathon in April, but I was motivated to pound the winter pavements knowing that I can help make better the lives of children who - tragically - may well not live much longer.

I'm raising funds for Dreams Come True, a charity which makes the wish of terminally ill children become reality. The prospect of providing a brief moment of magic to such special, unfortunate, youngsters propelled me onward. Watching the videos, like Joshua's on this page, are a gentle reminder just how lucky some of us are, lest we forget.

HOW ARE YOU FUND RAISING?

I organised a raft of London-based events, including a pub quiz, a poker night (which I - rather embarrassingly - won) and a sports memorabilia auction.

HOW DO I DONATE?

Aside from the fund-rasing events you can donating through JustGiving. It's 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.

MORE INFORMATION

You can follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/OliverPickup.

Thank you for allowing me to do you and - most importantly - the children supported by Dreams Come True proud.

Many thanks for your kindness.

Yours in lycra,

Ollie