Hi all,

I have decided to do something some may consider crazy, foolish or just completely stupid. But I've never been one for doing things on a small scale, so I will be running from London to Brighton on 5th October this year. The 56 mile ultra running event is organised by Extreme Running (www.extremerunning.org) and will take place across "trails through the beautiful English countryside of the counties of Kent, Surrey and Sussex to the vibrant, cosmopolitan, coastal city of Brighton on the South Coast of England".

As some of you may know, Kate’s step-sister, Cathy Pointon passed away recently, 18 months after being diagnosed with leukaemia, at the young age of 29. She beat it twice only for it to return, and ultimately, it left her too weak to carry on. Cathy’s battle against the leukaemia and her lust for life before she became ill, will always be an inspiration to all those she met. Cathy was one of those few people we meet in life that is wholly genuine and true.

Someone said something at Cathy's funeral that really struck a note with me:

"...if we all went and lived our lives with a little of the intensity and determination that Cathy did, then the world would be a better place."

I intend to do just this. The London to Brighton race is just the beginning of a number of events that I'm hoping to participate in over the next few years, which will all lead up to the Marathon des Sables in 2011. I registered for the event this year and received a confirmed place - a bit early I know, but the event is becoming more and more popular every year. I had to type fast as all the UK places were taken up in 8 minutes!

If you'd like to know more about this 6-day ~155 mile endurance race across the Sahara Desert, check out this site: http://www.saharamarathon.co.uk/

Anyway, I digress, that's a long way off yet. This Just Giving page is for the London to Brighton run next month, and I would like to raise funds for Cathy's family's chosen charity, Leuka - http://leuka.org.uk/

"Leuka is a registered charity dedicated to raising funds to support research into the causes and treatment of leukaemia at London's Hammersmith Hospital. At the forefront of clinical and scientific advances for the past thirty years, the specialist unit at the Hammersmith already has an international reputation for excellence and innovation"

Please donate and help Leuka to continue their research into the causes and treatment of this disease.

Thanks! Wish me luck!

Owen

Thanks for visiting my fundraising page.

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Leuka gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

So please sponsor me now!