It was over four years ago when I was with my family, watching the London marathon runners pass by, something we've done on-and-off for the last 15 years as we live not far from the start of the route near Greenwich. As we were watching, a runner jogged up to us, stopped, pointed his finger directly at me and started shouting 'YOU! You're going to do it next year! YES - YOU!!'. He then jogged on.

Two years later, at the start of the pandemic, I started running as my daily escape from home-schooling the children. Another two years later, I was in a cubicle (bear with me) at Alliance Healthcare HQ in Chessington, where there was a notice on the back of the door urging me to join the AH ballot for the London Marathon. I applied right there and then - and here we are!

I'll be running alongside my AH colleagues and we're each hoping to raise £2k for Action Medical Research - a very worthy cause (see details below) so please do give generously.

And, if you are that person who pointed your finger at me and 'encouraged' me to step up, thanks for that - I intend to finger point someone out in the crowd too - and so the cycle will go on, into marathon legend. Probably....

Stephen

We have a group of determined colleagues running the London Marathon 2022, who want to raise funds for Action Medical Research through taking on this hard challenge for a good cause. To support Alliance Healthcare's team who are willing to run 26.22 miles, please help their cause through funding this page. Learn more about Action Medical Research here: Action Medical Research's mission to save childrens lives began 70 years ago, when the UK faced a deadly disease, polio. They helped beat polio through funding research to help develop the first vaccines in the UK, which have kept millions safe. Their research has helped prevent stillbirths, fight meningitis and develop ultrasound scanning in pregnancy, saving thousands of children's lives and changing many more. Today they continue to tackle the challenges disease and disability present by funding some of the best medical research in the world and are driving forward research to help protect children in the fight against COVID-19. They want to help continue to protect children by funding research to save and change lives, but can only afford to fund around half of the children's research that they have ready simply because of a lack of funds. Together we can help save and change children's lives.