Last year I came up with the challenge of running 5 half marathons in 5 days to raise awareness and funds for 5 different charities. Unfortunately due to injury I wasn't able to complete the challenge in 2021 - so here we are 9 or so months, a few bouts of shin splints and many stretching and physio sessions later ready to go again!

This challenge presents an opportunity to raise funds for some great charities across the UK, many of which have seen a huge impact on their funding and fundraising channels as a result of the pandemic. As I couldn’t choose a single charity to support, I have decided to fundraise for 5 different ones - one for each half marathon - each for different reasons and all of which are very close to me, my family and friend's hearts. See some info below about the charities I am raising money for and the reason behind each.

Scottish Refugee Council - https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cat-dickson2

Mind (The City, Hackney and Waltham Forest)- https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cat-dickson1

Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland (CHSS)- https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cat-dickson4

The Children’s Trust - https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cat-dickson6

My Name'5 Doddie Foundation - https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cat-dicksond

All donations, no matter how large or small, are hugely welcomed and appreciated.

Please feel free to support a charity that resonates with you or spread your donation across multiple ones. You can donate to a single charity (through the links above) or split your donation across multiple charities, however please note this involves going to each link / charity page and processing separate transactions.

The runs will take place across different routes around London over 30 March - 3 April and will be recorded on Strava throughout. The challenge is very much open to anyone else who wants to get involved be it on the streets of London or from home. Whether you are looking for a new personal challenge on a 3k, 5k, 10k or half marathon distance, would like to join in for fun, or would like to run a distance and help raise some money for one of the charities in the process - it would be great to see as many of you joining in on the running over the 5 days! And I am sure the support, high spirits and energy from others will be required to get through the final miles.

Thank you in advance for all of your support!

Cat