The reason why I am doing this …

At last !! after all these months I have found the reason why every ache and pain of this challenge is worthwhile !! Below are the two causes and every reason … Thank you to everyone who has followed this over the last few months. Please give as generously as you can !! we are now live for donations at www.virginmoneygiving.com/polarrunner

Drowning in the pool after a month but getting incredibly fit – back on the road soon …..

There is never a good time to ask for money – even more so in the depths of a recession and in a grey wet February – but it’s been a long time, over 10 years, since I asked anyone to sponsor me (the last time was jumping out of airplanes with the Red Devils at the back end of the last century!)

But this is a unique moment. Those of you who might have followed my blog recently (polarrunner.wordpress.com), will know that I am about to undertake something rather ridiculous; but the challenge was put to me (difficult to back down even at my age!) and the organisers passed me ‘good to go’.

So this is it …… I am running my first ever marathon – at the North Pole !!

I leave for the Pole on 2^nd April this year and run the 26.2 miles in circa minus 40 degrees on the 7^th April. Due to weather conditions it is not 26 miles in a straight line as they could lose us in a white out or to the odd polar bear (although they rarely travel that far north – it’s too cold!). We will run 4.4km in a circuit round the North Pole x 10. There are 24 ‘uber marathoners’ from around the world plus me – a marathon virgin! and I am supremely confident that the 24 in front of me will be able to smooth a path through the snow to enable me to finish this within the time limit (36 hours!) that the Russian military plane transporting us can remain on the North Pole Ice Floe!!

As you all know, over the years, I’ve run a charity in memory of my first wife, Lee, who passed away 30 years ago next month. The funds raised have given new lives to many cancer afflicted children. I would really like this marathon to support the Lee Smith Foundation’s new TaNK cell treatment. A potentially new treatment for Prostate, Breast and Ovarian cancer, Leukaemia and Myeloma.

I also want to introduce you to Alex Field. Alex is a cheeky, bright and cheerful 7 year old boy who has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour. At present he is under treatment at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Surrey, however a new treatment that could potentially save his life looks to be available in California and we would like to be able to pay for that treatment by the funds raised from this marathon.

I know how tough it is out there for everyone at the moment but please find it in your hearts and wallets (!) to be as generous as possible especially to try and help to give little Alex his life back.
Thank you in anticipation

Jon

How to donate:

Cheques payable to: The Lee Smith Foundation Ltd

Send to: The Secretary
The Lee Smith Foundation Ltd
First Artist House
85A Wembley Hill Road
Wembley, Middlesex HA9 8BU

or at: www.virginmoneygiving.com/polarrunner