Hi friends,

After last year's attempt was sadly curtailed by a nasty bout of pericarditis, I am very pleased to say that I'll be running the 2025 London Marathon!

I'm one year older and a lot more sleep deprived (thanks to my boisterous 5 month-old) than the last time I attempted this. The training plan is ambitious, but I'm genuinely excited to take on the challenge. I'm not sleeping much anyway, so might as well dedicate my nocturnal hours to pounding the pavement.

I received so many wonderful donations last year. I wanted to extend a heartfelt thanks to anyone who sponsored my endeavours for 2024 - and reassure you that all of those donations count towards this year's target. Thank you again.

I'm very pleased to say that I'll be running in the TCS London Marathon for the brilliant people at HeadStart. HeadStart, run by Family Action, is an exceptionally important programme designed to help disadvantaged young people develop the skills, experience and confidence to get - and stay - in employment. It's a charity I've seen in action for a number of years through my employer, Brands2Life, who are a big supporter of the scheme - and I'm thrilled to be raising money for them at a time when young people need all the help they can get.

Looking forward to keeping you all updated on my training journey.

D