UPDATE

Well i've completed the race in a time of 2 hours, 3 minutes and 11 seconds.  Just outside my 2 hour target but i'm still pleased with how i've done on my first ever race.  The race itself was brilliant, so well organised and brilliantly supported - i would definitely consider doing it again next year, and now i have a time target to beat!  Thank you so much to all those who have sponsored, supported and donated.  Over £550 raised so far and still more money coming in!  It's still not too late to donate!

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Those of you who know me, will know that I wasn't really a fan of running.  I used to do it in school and be fairly good at it, but as the years went by I became more unfit and piled on a few extra pounds.  Whenever I tried to do any running of any sort I would suffer with pains in my legs (shin splints) which would stop me trying anymore.

In October 2013 I decided to take control of how I looked and felt and embarked on a new health and fitness regime which to date has seen me lose over two and a half stone in weight and achieve a new found love for exercise - including running!

As I started to run more and more and set myself new little goals of faster times and longer distances I have got to the point where I want to challenge myself - the idea of a marathon, although mesmerising, has filled me with dread and so i thought i would go for a happy medium and enter a half marathon - the Royal Parks half marathon.

As most people do these days, i decided i would also try and raise a little bit of money for charity while i do it.

I had a few charities in mind that i considered representing but finally decided on Macmillan Cancer Support.  I, like most of you reading this, know someone affected by Cancer.  My wife's mum passed away nearly three years ago from Cancer.  My uncle died last year from Cancer.  My Dad has Cancer and will continue to receive careful monitoring and treatment to keep it in check.  In those instances Macmillan were, and still are, on hand to provide assistance, support and advice at difficult times.

If you are reading this then you are obviously interested enough to wonder what i am doing and why.  If you are here then please do sponsor me - whether it's 50p, £1, £5, £10 or more - every single penny raised helps and will go to Macmillan to help them help those affected by the terrible disease that is Cancer.

Two million people are living with Cancer in the UK and around 300,000 new cases are diagnosed every year.  More than one in three of us will get Cancer at some stage in our lives, so it really does affect us all.

Macmillan are the nurses helping people through treatment. They're the experts on the end of the phone.  The advisers telling people which benefits they're entitled to.  The volunteers giving people a hand with the everyday things.  The campaigners pushing for better Cancer care.

Thank you for your time in reading this, and an even bigger thank you if you decide to sponsor me

Donating through JustGiving is 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. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.