***** I DID  IT!  Thank you to all who have sponsored or will sponsor me. Here’s how I reported the run on the day: “That was a tough day at the office. CP in CP? Certainly: running the NY Marathon for Cure Parkinson's was joyful then devastating then joyful. The second joyful kicked in at 26.2 in Central Park, and won’t go away soon. Back onto the laptop this morning - we have a phase 3 clinical trial for disease modification to fund …” *****

The Backstory: Nearly 20 years ago, I staggered around 26 miles for a charitable cause that became the extraordinary Cure Parkinson’s. I had been training pretty hard and was with a few close friends, all way round, including local celebrity Mr Tom Isaacs.  Tom had just walked 4000 miles to get to the start line, but that's another story.

We all suffered that day. Maybe it was a mistake to carry and display, every step of the way, a 12 foot banner with two 6 foot poles hewn from solid oak.  We struggled, laughed and sang together for five hours and 40 minutes.

On 6 November 2022 I will try to do something similar over 26 miles, but this time on my own.

In July, I started training properly for this: I’ve managed to run 19 times since then - been a bit busy - and never more than 15 miles. Not enough! In November, I’m confident of getting to the start line on Staten Island; not about the finish in Central Park. 

I will definitely try though, as hard as I can. The charity is working urgently to find a cure for Parkinson’s, and I am utterly committed. Truly, their funding and innovation has redefined large parts of Parkinson’s research, enabling many of the world’s leading researchers to prioritise the next generation of drugs for clinical trial. I am certain that PD will fall to science and the clinic: we just need the funding to make it happen  

I have made a donation directly to CP to celebrate the opportunity, and have also paid for all my costs personally, so any £ donated here will go straight to the charity. Please join me!  Thank you. 

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