A little while ago, I mentioned on here that Wee John and I were planning to re-tackle the Great North Run. Regular readers will recall that he and me had our original go back in 2011 in support of Mags, who at that time was winning her fight with leukaemia, and we raised £2,000.
But a lot has happened in the past few weeks, including Wee John pulling out of the race on grounds of diminished masculinity.
More notably, Mags has passed away.
I told her of my plan to strap on the trainers once more to raise some cash for Candlelighters, a wonderful Yorkshire-based charity that supports children who have or have had cancer, and their families. And she liked that.
The reason I chose Candlelighters was because a friend, whose little boy has been fighting his own battle with leukaemia and roundly kicking its arse, asked if I would do it with her. I was hardly going to say no.
I've paid for the place myself and will cover all other costs. In other words, any contribution you make to my fund will go directly to Candlelighters and not for me to have a nice time on Tyneside.
I've only promised the charity that I'll raise £250 but, given that Wee John and I scooped up £1,000 each last time, I've mirrored that figure in my personal target. Plus, it bloody hurts running a half-marathon and I'd like to make it worthwhile.
Finally, I've titled my fundraising page Running for Mags II. Because Mags was Wee John's and my inspiration two years ago, and she will certainly be my motivator when I'm standing on the start line in Newcastle in six and a half weeks from now.
This is the link to where you can sponsor me. I'd be embarrassingly grateful if you would click on it and give me what you can.
