On October 9th 2008 my father Mike passed away after contracting Leukaemia earlier in the year. We had a tremendous final seven months together with numerous family trips including a memorable balloon ride for his birthday. During his final week with us we discussed what charity he would to support through me completing the Antarctic Marathon and I was delighted when he suggested Leukaemia Research. It is a blood cancer which comes in many forms and is contracted by young and old alike. It is tough to cure and I think we all know of families who have been impacted by it. Leukaemia Research support fundamental work into finding cures and also provide advice and support to those impacted by the disease. They are a tremendous team and deserve our help. I am running the Antarctic marathon as the final leg of the marathon Grand Slam. This involves completing a marathon on every continent plus the North Pole and has only been completed by 29 people. Events completed so far are the New Hampshire marathon (USA, Sept 06), North Pole Marathon (April 07), Himalayan Mountain Kingdom Marathon (Bhutan, Nov 07), the 50 mile Thames Path ultra with the river in full flood (UK, Jan 08), the Sahara marathon in the Saharawi refugee camps (Algeria, Feb 08) and most recently a marathon in Sydney Australia (Oct 08). I will be running marathons at Santiago Chile in December 08 before the Antarctic marathon itself on or about 12th December 08. The Antarctic Marathon (www.icemarathon.com) is the most southerly marathon in the world. It is held at 80 deg South on the Antarctic mainland at the foot of the Ellsworth Mountains at an altitude of 3,000 ft. Temperatures with windchill are expected to be about – 20 C which brings special challenges. Avoiding frostbite is a key consideration requiring particular care on extremities like fingers, toes, ears, cheeks and nose. Water and food all quickly freeze if left out and winds in the area can be strong. The ice itself is also tricky to run on. So a tough race but Leukaemia is also a tough disease. All funds raised go to Leukaemia Research and no deductions are made for the cost of the trip. I would like to thank BP who are kindly providing additional donations to Leukaemia Research for this event under their matched giving scheme for employees. Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Leukaemia Research gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation. So please sponsor me now!
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