Yes.The rumours are true.

On April 6th I will be running in the Marathon de Paris.

As some of you already know a marathon consists of 26.2 miles.

The first 'recorded' marathon runner was a Greek soldier known as Pheidippides.

'Phil' had just fought in the Battle of Marathon and when the fighting was over, he promptly left the battlefield to inform the people of Athens of their victory. 

On arrival in that great city he burst into the Akropolis and shouted "Rejoice! We conquer". 

Sadly he then dropped dead, presumably due to running a marathon in blistering heat after having fought a war but anyway....

...back in the present day - I am running my first marathon this April. Like 'Phil' I have gained the taste for punishment. Last year inbetween running the Great North Run and swimming in the freezing cold of the Tooting Bec Lido, I decided that I'd need to run a full-marathon at some point. Where better than Paris? Along the way I hope to raise some much-needed money for Wandsworth Oasis. They really do some exceptional work around Wandsworth, raising money for one of the less popular causes. 

Wandsworth Oasis are a small community-focused chain of charity shops, raising money for local people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). It is clear that the concept of HIV has evolved over the years. Once simply branded a gay man's disease, now NAT statistics show that it is much more widely spread accross the population in the UK. Wandsworth has one of the highest numbers of people dianosed with HIV - largely as a result of its demographic profile - and therefore the work that Oasis do here is crucial, especially during a time of brutal third-sector cuts. 

So I'm asking you to dig deep and help me reach my target of £1,000.

I hope you can help. 

Best wishes,

Chris