I made it!!!!!!!! And my sunburnt shoulders are actually more painful than my legs- it was very hot without a cloud in the sky yesterday.

What a fantastic event- the support team, the crowds and the atmosphere were wonderful. Thanks to your generosity I could use my status as a 'Magic' runner to get a leg massage immediately after the finish. Without this I doubt I'd be walking today.

Top tip- if you are ever foolhardy enough to try this yourself- put your name on your vest. I must have heard my name called out a thousand times during the run, and I'd never have thought it would provide so much of a boost in my hour(s) of need.

And the bright red Action for Kids running vest certainly matched my skin colour perfectly by the end....

Now for the stats- 7500 finishers of which, to my amazement I was the 637th!!!!

I beat my 4 hour target- in fact I came in at 3h33mins chip time (actual time from crossing start line to finish) and 3h34mins race time. I managed to keep up with the 3h30 pace setter- handily dressed in gold with a sign on a stick- for the first 22 miles. Unfortunately the last 4.2miles weren't so fast...... I was certainly relieved to finish.

So a faster time than I believed possible. And on the first properly hot day of the year. I poured more water on my head than I drank.

Very nice medal you get too. See http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/sussex/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8627000/8627985.stm

for a flavour of the event.

 

Update; 15 April 2010;

Just 2 days to go! Starting to feel the pressure....

I am hugely grateful for your generosity- hitting 150% of my target today. Let's see if I can make it nearly double..

Found a training plan I'd printed in December and realised I haven't followed it correctly- I've done far many fewer short runs than recommended. Let's hope the long runs still count!

Will let everyone know how I get on on Monday hopefully- unless it's just TOO embarassing to report.

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Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Several months ago, entering the inaugural Brighton Marathon seemed like a great idea, and April 18th 2010 seemed a long way off. Now it seems all too fast approaching and just maybe not such a great idea after all!

But-I'm firmly committed, and would like to raise as much money as possible for my chosen charity, who are based close to home.

Action For Kids (AFK) is a national charity working with children and young people with physical and learning disabilities and their parents and carers. They help to transform young lives by removing the barriers to independence.

AFK provide funding for a range of mobility equipment including customised powered wheelchairs and tricycles, walkers and specialist buggies, adaptive seating and other therapeutic aids.

They rely almost entirely on voluntary donations.

On average only 3p in every £1 is spent on administration. AFK fundraising costs, as a percentage of total expenditure, represents 20p in the £1 which means that Action For Kids ensure that 77p in the £ is spent directly on services.

Where will my money go?

Donations received are used to provide a wide range of services to support disabled children, young people, their families and carers.

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 and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.