PLEASE NOTE:- AMENDED FINISH TIME FOR MY LAST 5K ON SATURDAY 1ST OF AUGUST - I'LL FINISH AT 11:00AM AT THE PLOUGH INN. HOPE TO SEE SOME OF YOU THEN.

The challenge (reminder!): to run 500k by completing at least 5k every day for 95 days (inc at least five 10ks).

LATEST (AND NEARLY THE LAST) UPDATE: today (29/07/20), I ran my 92nd consecutive daily 5k. I now have only THREE days and THREE 5ks left to complete my "Cotswold Friends 500" challenge. The amount donated so far is fantastic - but let's see if we can add to it - I think Cotswold Friends deserve all the help they can get, especially considering the challenging times the staff and clients have endured over the last three months. Thank you very much for all your support so far.

On Saturday the first of August (day 95), I'll finish my last 5k at 1.30pm (the time the Cold Aston Fayre would have started) at the Plough Inn, Cold Aston, and celebrate with a pint of locally brewed refreshment.

UPDATE (23/7/20) - I'm on the home straight now - only NINE days and NINE 5ks to go till I complete the "Cotswold Friends 500" on 1/8/20. Thank you to everyone who has donated and supported me since the 29th of April when I ran my first 5k.

HOWEVER - I am going to extend this by running a total of 100 consecutive daily 5ks - just because 100 is a nicer number than 95.

If you haven't donated already (maybe you're waiting till I complete the 500 on 1/8/20 or weren't convinced I could do it !), then please consider a small donation, it's the reason I'm doing this mad thing!

The original post:-

Thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. I would be very grateful if you would consider making a small donation to spur me on in the madness outlined below.

Every day, for 95 days, I am going to run at least 5 kilometres (3.11 miles) to raise funds for Cotswold Friends, a fantastic small charity based in Moreton-In-Marsh. In total, I will run over 500k.

Every year for several years, the Chartity has been supported by Cold Aston Fayre, but this year, the 46th Fayre has been cancelled. This means that Cotswold Friends will obviously not receive any funds from the event. This is where my "event" comes in......please read on...

I have been running at least 5 kilometres (3.11 miles) every day since 29/4/20. My final 5k will be on the first of August - the day the 46th Fayre would have been held. By that date, I will have run five 10ks as well as ninety 5ks to ensure I run a total of 500k.

So far so good - at the time of writing this (21/6/20), I have run every day for 54 days, consisting of fifty-one 5ks and three 10ks - a total of 285k - so I'm well over half way already! 

I "banked" 25k (ie the equivalent of 5 days) on 26/4/20, in case I have to have a day or two off because of injury or illness(!).

Another factor in this stupidity is this:- I have set a target of taking less than 30 minutes for each 5k and less than 60 minutes for each 10k (the average 5k time for my age is over 40 minutes). My best time is 23:54. 

So please support me, thank you very much indeed.

My chosen charity - Cotswold Friends provides a volunteer driver system whereby vulnerable people can request a journey to appointments, meetings, the shops or to social events. Also, deliveries of prescriptions and medical equipment has been an important service during the current lockdown. The charity also runs many social events and a befriending group of volunteers who stay in contact with people living alone. 

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.