Hi, After the amazing experience of running the London Marathon for the 1st time in 2024 I thought more and more about those 3 mins over 4 hrs. Was it because I went for that wee? Was it because I stopped at the Ealing Eagles support stop to high 5 some of them? Was it the selfie on the bridge? In the end I think there were 3 factors:

1. I didn't bank on running more than the distance which you do (That extra

1/2km was my 3 mins)

2. I didn't change how long I expected to do it in which did mean queuing behind people trying to get past them on the day.

3.My main focus was to have fun and get it done. That means getting the crowd cheering.

So thanx to GetKidsGoing and River Island the "Grudge Match" is on.

London Marathon 2025 is on:

Target for 2024 was £1900

Target for 2025 is £2000 I'm keeping all donations here for a Grand Total

So total is £3900

Ealing Half Marathon at the End of September. Then just some weekly runs with the training block starting 2025. Here comes the rollercoaster ............

Hi, Its been 7 years since I created a JustGIving page. That was my start back to running, triggered by the unfortunate passing away of my Dad. That was my 1st half marathon in 20 years.

Since then my running path has been a bit of a rollercoaster with this year getting a 1.53 at Ealing Half (the high) and subsequently in the last month stupidly getting 2nd degree burns from an icepack only to find out the pain was from a blood clot and DVT (the low). I'm on medication for the next 3 months at least. Anyway now that I'm on a low I'm hoping to return to a high.

Inspired by all that took part in 2023 I entered the London Marathon Lottery. Okay, I was not picked, but a friend of mine recommended Get Kids Going as a worthwhile charity to obtain a charity place and the rest is history. I'm in! Why did I pick this one amongst the many others? Well I can't imagine not being able to run and more that one of my running buddies has reminded me its a privilege to be able to run no matter what your level of ability is. Running (especially through covid) has definitely helped me mentally as well as physically. My training sees me sometimes running through Richmond park where I have seen the amazing David Weir (President of the charity) on his own training in the past. I also have a friend and colleague at work, who although is in a wheelchair, is amazingly independent and active. But I found out from him to be that independent and active costs a lot of money!

A bespoke wheelchair for sports costs between £4K and £7K. And here I am complaining on the price of a good pair of trainers! This is why I picked this charity. I think its so worthwhile and hope you do too. I'm also hoping my wonderful employer (River Island) will match what's in the pot. My goal is £1900.

So far I've been out for about a month but I've joined a gym and started strength training and plan to be running in Dec. I'll keep you posted. Right now the plan is to be injury free at the Start line on Apr 21st 2024. 4 Months, 4 Weeks, 1 Day and counting ......

Thanx for listening. Anuj out ...

https://www.getkidsgoing.com/about/

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

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. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.