In May last year, our incredible dad, Jerry, died suddenly of a heart attack, aged 63. Literally out of nowhere.

He was a serious force to be reckoned with - a true maverick - an ex Royal Marine and member of the Special Boat Service, who served in the Falklands and Northern Ireland - an engineer and leader and most importantly the most wonderful friend, father and grandfather. He was incredibly fit and 'seemingly' healthy, running almost every day of his life, often leaving me for dust when I was lucky enough to run with him.

It is only in desperately searching for an answer to WHY and HOW this could possible happen, that I have started to understand how Familial hypercholesterolemia simply cannot be outrun (pardon the pun) by a healthy lifestyle. It is so very painful to know he could have taken medication which would have helped and given him the additional decades he so richly deserved with his family, friends and his newest best bud - his grandson Felix.

I have spent a lot of time trawling the Heart UK website to better understand this known but often overlooked health issue, and the information and support proved invaluable in those early weeks spent desperately looking for an answer.

If running the London Marathon can get even one person to get their cholesterol and heart checked then it will have been worth it. Your sponsorship would mean the world, but please also get your heart, and get everyone you know to be checked too!

To all that knew Jerry, you know that he had an incredible skill of making people push themselves out of their comfort zone. If he was there, you could do anything. He honestly loved nothing more than seeing people push themselves physically and mentally.....so here goes... this ones for you, Daddy.