To raise money for a great charity close to my heart and to set myself a personal fitness challenge I’ve decided to run an Ultra Marathon in April. To date I have never run further than 9 miles in one go.

A month or two ago I came up with the idea of doing Work Hard Run Home as a charity fundraiser.I was inspired heavily by Howies who produced a tshirt design advocating a change to the daily commuter grind by doing your normal day’s work then lacing up your trainers and running home. I liked the sound of it and the next day measured the distance from my office door to my front door. 31.5 miles – or just over 50km, which is the start of Ultra Marathon distances.

 So, on April 23 I’ll be travelling into the office as normal, but instead of the long drive home I’ll set off after lunch to begin the estimated 5 hour run home. It’s not a big, organised event, so there won’t be any water stations or crowds along the way, just a water bottle, my ipod and the promise of a cup of tea and an ice bath when I get home.

 I’ll be tackling this event as a fundraiser for Hope and Homes for Children – a great charity, doing amazing things for children. It also happens to be the organisation I work for. I know they will put whatever sponsorship you give to great use in their work to close institutions and ensure children can grow up in loving families.

NB. There’s a prize on offer - a bottle of champagne or similar - for the closest estimate to my actual finishing time. Unfortunately there’s no Norris McWhirter-esque official adjudicator to independently verify it, but I’ll track the run on GPS to make sure it’s all legit. So make your estimate with your sponsorship but please bear in mind I’m not likely to be breaking any land speed records…

 Thank you.