Hi everyone!
Thanks very much for visiting our web page! By donating to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust you will be helping tens of thousands of children and young adults in the UK in their fight against this life-threatening disease.

April 20th - Rob's entry

Well... the marathon is just 3 days away and I have to say I am really enjoying sitting on my a*se this week!  I am eating like a pig (ok, nothing new) and drinking water like it's about to go out of date.  There is no point doing any more training, or for that matter even worrying... because it's all too late.  Crunch time is here... and I DO feel ready!  Perhaps it is because I have done a couple of these marathon thingys before that Im feeling rather confident, or maybe I am completely complacent!  Something tells me I might just break the 4 hour barrier... (uh oh, he's said it now)  I just hope Ash feels hardcore like me ;-)

 

April 2006 - Update

In terms of running in costumes, both we (Ash and I) and the CF Trust, have pulled out of the idea.  Because we are unable to get hold of the costumes before the day of the race we are unable to train in them, and from what I hear they are extremely difficult to walk around in, let alone breathe, drink and sweat in.  For safety reasons it has been decided that we stuff the idea.  Unfortunate... but alas, we might enjoy it more now!  Sorry guys...

 

Mid-Mar 2006 - Ash's entry

Hello all. Well it's 5 weeks until the big day and to be honest I haven't been training as hard as I think I should have. I'm going for a 2 hour run tomorow around portsmouth and I've been getting in 45 minute runs before college during the week (hardcore). To be honest, i'm really looking forward to it as I think it's going to be quite an experience, bar the pain, blisters and the following week at college when I won't be able to walk. Did you know I have lost 3 toe nails now from doing half marathons? I might just lose a foot or leg doiong the LDN marathon lol! But also it will be great fun running around with Rob soaking up the atmosphere like a wet sponge... is that an good jogging analogy? Who knows! But yeah, there's a huge Mr T style medallion to be collected too so I'm looking forward to walking around for about a year with that around my neck too! Anyway, I have to go, I have to mentally prepare myself for a gruelling jog through Pompey tomorow! Alligators, Ash 'joggy McJogpants' Bolton

 

Feb 2006 - Rob's entry

So its just 8 weeks until the big day and we have some important news!!  Thanks to some special people at the CF Trust, we have been asked to run in fancy dress as football team mascots.  Both Manchester United (yeah, the biggest club in the world) and Chelsea (last year's and probably this year's English premiership winners) support the CF Trust, and it is a great honour for us to wear their official mascot uniforms on the big day.  Check us out on www.sports-mascots.co.uk I will run as Fred the Red and Ash will run as Stamford the Lion.  Its gonna be great and we are sure to get some coverage on the BBC.  So, now we are stuck into our training and need to find a donation for costumes to train in.  Fingers crossed we wont have to pay for them, and that a local business will help us out.  The costumes weigh 8 lbs; the head alone is 5.5 lbs.  Its gonna be a struggle but we both believe we can do it!  Let's hope its not too hot on the 23rd April!!!

 

Dec 2005 - Rob's entry

Well...
It's that time of year again when Ash and I risk freezing our bums off to train for this torturous event called the London Marathon, all in the name of a good cause!  If I haven't quite reiterated this point enough, we are raising money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, a charity that is special for me in particular.  For some of you who might not know, can't remember or just so happened to stumble on this web-page randomly: 'I have Cystic Fibrosis!'

Of course, judging by the picture on the left I look rather beefy (no really I do!!), so perhaps I do not show any visible signs of having a life-threatening disease such as CF.  However, I am one of the extremely lucky few (and I mean few) that is able to live 'a normal life' with the disease.

A bit about the disease and how it affects the vast majority of its patients: The symptoms of Cystic Fibrosis are widespread but predominantly affect the lungs and pancreas.  A quote from the CF Foundation (The US based CF charity): "The defective gene causes the body to produce an abnormally thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections.  These thick secretions also obstruct the pancreas, preventing digestive enzymes from reaching the intestines to help break down and absorb food."  In most cases, the causes of death for people with CF are related to poor lung function and a decreasing vital capacity causing gradual lung failure.

As there is no cure for CF, the vast majority of patients put themselves on the waiting list for lung transplants... that sometimes never come.  Meanwhile, they can often spend countless days and months in hospital or at home wired to ventilation machines, doing hours of physiotherapy and inhaled (nebulised) or intra-venous (IV) antibiotics.  Believe it or not... I have gradually come to the harsh realisation that this could, in fact, be me in a few years.  Here's the stuff you need to remember: Statistically, it is the UK's most common life-threatening inherited disease, as approximately '1 in every 2500 births' is to a baby with CF.  In fact, one in 25 (thats 4%) of us is a non-symptomatic carrier of the disease.  The life expectancy of someone with Cystic Fibrosis is just 31 years.

So yeah, you can imagine how much I appreciate being a fit and healthy 25 year old CF patient.  Believe me, I know how lucky I am!  The impingements of the disease upon my life have only ever been slight, but of course being in such a privileged and fortunate position, I began to see it as my duty to help those less fortunate.  Luckily for me, Ash also has the same motivation, and is as determined as I am to make good things happen for people with this disease.  We have been running buddies for the last year, taking part in numerous training runs together and motivatin each other with our quiet (ok, blatant) competitive spirits.  We ran together in the Great South Run (10 Miles) and enjoyed the feeling that we were helping raise money for those less fortunate.

Seriously, I believe that together we can really make a difference for the thousands of children and young adults with CF in the UK.  As its main objective, the CF Trust funds medical and scientific research aimed towards better understanding, treating and curing Cystic Fibrosis.  They provide a vital lifeline for people, like myself, living everyday with CF.  Whats more, we are well on the way to being able to fund a full program of gene-therapy testing that should commence in the next few years, providing we have the funds.  So, come on, give generously!!

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure.  It is also the most efficient way to sponsor us: Cystic Fibrosis Trust will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.  That means for a donation of, say, £100, the CF Trust will actually receive £128!! So please help us today and make a difference.  Your donation will go a long way... and hopefully further than 26.2 miles!  There is a better future out there for perople with CF and you and I can provide it for them.

Thank you very much for all your support.

With much love, Rob and Ash

roblake29@hotmail.com

ashbolton@hotmail.com