Why do this marathon? Why this charity and why this country?

This year is tough for people in the UK. Whether Brexit, Covid, cost of living, war in Ukraine or poor decision by government, millions have suffered as a result.

Yet, we are still one of the richest nations on earth. There is resilience built into the UK in a way that many African countries do not have. The Ukraine war/cost of living and post covid hangover affect people in poorer countries so much harder. When we struggle in the UK, systems in other countries are decimated. People just don't miss meals. They starve to death. They don't go to school hungry. They don't go to school.

Doing this is my attempt to provide a perspective to both myself and others. We have it tough but in comparison we have it OK.

I never ask for donations or do begging bowl things. The trips and challenges I do for charity or otherwise are holidays for me. But this one is different. I am not only asking for your money, but your awareness and your understanding and your perspective of how others, in much less well off countries, are struggling. That we are not too badly off in comparison. And that kids in these places, deserve a little bit of help from us from time to time.

Up until now, the Sierra Leone Marathon has supported almost 750,000 children into education and 90,000 families to set up businesses so they can afford the cost of educating their kids.

So if you could spare a quid. Or tell people about this, it will make a lot of people very happy.