This has all come around somewhat faster than I was hoping.

 

It has been quite some time indeed since I engaged in anything even approaching competitive sport, and in the natural state of affairs I am psychologically & physically built for some form of activity roughly halfway between playing rugby and watching rugby in a pub; in all honesty this is probably not the best starting point for a 26 mile run.

 

With this in mind, it is fair to say that I have not excelled at the whole ‘distance running’ gig. The only part of it that I have managed to embrace with any kind of gusto has been the carb-loading, a process that I really threw myself into wholeheartedly some time around Christmas. I am told this may have been a little ahead of the optimal timeline. Around the same time I also decided to ratchet up the ‘taper’ section of my training, in which you progressively reduce the number of long distances you run in the run up to the actual event - this may also have been a little premature. In recent weeks my housemates have begun referring to me as “DNF”, which I’m pretty sure stands for “Did Not Finish”, which has several unfortunate connotations and demonstrates quite how little faith they have in my staying power. In any case, things are not looking too promising at this point.

 

I am, however, motivated by an exceptionally good cause. ZSL is the London Zoo’s Conservation charity, which runs and supports projects around the world, helping to care for and protect species that are on the brink of extinction. I have decided to raise money for their gorilla conservation project in Mikongo in Gabon, which also provides education and healthcare for people in the surrounding area. I’m sure I don’t need to go on about it too much as you’ll already be familiar with the whole animal conservation story – suffice it to say that Western Gorillas are classed as Critically Endangered, which is one notch above being extinct in the wild. The fact that human activities like poaching and deforestation are responsible for the bulk of this threat to the survival of one of our cousins in the Great Ape family means, in my opinion, that we have a responsibility to do what we can, even if that is nothing more than making an idiot of yourself over several hours on a lovely April day in London. Please give generously – I will appreciate every penny, I will certainly finish, and I will be forever grateful for your kind support. Many thanks.

 

Theo