I know anyone who hears I'm doing another Marathon, having said I would never do another one and less than a year after undertaking the London Marathon last April will think I'm crazy for doing this? When I heard Bowel Cancer UK had charity places going for the first time in the Paris Marathon in April 2024, I felt compelled to do it.

Why?

France will always hold fond memories for me, as we used to go there every summer growing up, my Dad worked extremely hard so I didn't see a lot of him apart from during the summer holidays, especially when I was little we were spoilt rotten and treated to Disneyland Paris on a few occasions, I loved it there, if Heaven is a place on earth, for me it was there.

My Dad should have had his 68th birthday on 2nd December, I was naturally very down and to be honest, felt lost again. When I undertook the London Marathon training this time last year, as tough as it was, it gave me a purpose, something positive to work towards in memory of my Dad who died from this cruel disease when he was just 56, that would help others who have been affected and so when the opportunity presented itself again I couldn't help myself.

As much as people may think this should be easier for me now that I've already done one, if anything I would say ignorance is bliss and I am only too aware of the work involved and how hard it will be. I'm also aware as this one will be in another country I will have less support on the day (which I heavily relied on during London, so thank you if you came to watch me last time!).

But given this disease still affects so many people I won't stop my fundraising efforts either.

Almost 43,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year in the UK, it's the 4th most common cancer in this country. Around 268,000 people living in the UK today have been diagnosed with bowel cancer.

More than 9 out of 10 new cases (94%) are diagnosed in people over the age of 50. But bowel cancer can affect anyone of any age. More than 2,600 new cases are diagnosed in people under the age of 50 every year. 1 in 15 men and 1 in 18 women will be diagnosed with bowel cancer during their lifetime.

I need to raise a minimum of £500 for Bowel Cancer UK, which I know is a lot of money still and especially in these challenging times, so any donation small or large would be greatly appreciated. If anyone would buy me a drink on a night out or want to get me something for my birthday, there's nothing that means more to me than working towards a future where no one suffers from bowel cancer, so if I could ask you to consider donating towards this instead that would be wonderful.

Thanks to the generous support so far, I have since increased my target as it’s such an important cause close to my heart, I want to raise as much money as possible.

But if nothing else I want to encourage everyone visiting this page to familiarise themselves with the signs and symptoms of the disease:

https://www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk/about-bowel-cancer/symptoms/

Thanking you in advance x