Hi there, thanks for checking out my fundraising page for my London & Toronto Marathon runs in 2008. First of all, a big thank you to you regulars who have sponsored my previous runs and an equally big thank you to you first-timers. Any amount at all is gratefully received.

So who am I running for?

TACT (The Adolescent and Childrens Trust) which is a national charity for children and young people involved with the care system, the core services being adoption and fostering. This is the old Independent Adoption Service which I have run for in the past. Essentially, TACT helps create families; bringing together children who, for whatever reason, do not enjoy a loving home with people who can provide one. I was lucky enough to be adopted by wonderful parents and so this is just a very small way of helping others enjoy the same opportunity.

Update on Toronto 08

With the training behind me I set off for the city centre on September 28th at 6.30am (hats off to Mark for driving me in at that time on a Sunday) grumbling at the lunacy of starting a marathon at 7.30am compared with the more civil time of 9.30am for the London. However, as the race got underway and the sun started to flex its muscles, the early start became a blessing as Toronto enjoyed one of its hottest days. By the time I had finished, there was the sort of searing, white sun and cloudless sky that one is more accustomed to seeing in movies, with a parched hero flailing through the desert before stumbling and rolling down a sand dune, gasping and hallucinating.

The Race

So, the race itself. In marathons as in life I reckon. The whole event was clean, very, very well organised and the Torontonians incredibly friendly - more than happy to engage in conversation both during and after the race. It lacked the glamour and excitement of London and no city on Earth can beat the sheer wall of noise and support that runners get around the East End but all in all it was an enjoyable morning. To be fair, the course does take you through some pretty barren industrial areas so the odd lone voice shouting out your name after 20 miles is worth a thousand cheers by that stage.

I didn't see any comedy runners in fancy dress or inspirational disabled runners (the memory of the guy with two metal poles for legs in the London will never fade) but I did see an overwhelming number of attractive young ladies. The ratio was amazing - chaps, pack your bags and head West!

Which was all just as well really as when you hit 18 miles or so you need an extra motivation to keep at the pace you established early on in haze of optimism. Some conjure up the spirit of lost loved ones (often the reason for people to embark on a marathon and run for a charity related to their passing), some think of their families waiting at the finish line. I'm afraid I'm rather shallow in this area - I aim for a personal best coupled with trying to overtake the woman 100 yards ahead with the nice bottom and impress her with my Yorkshire grit and determination.

And this year, suitably inspired by a legion of pretty Canadian girls, I produced my best ever time of 3 hrs 33 minutes, beating my old P.B. by 30 seconds. It was a very, very tough race in the heat and I set off at quite a pace so am chuffed to bits to have done well. Annoyingly, I failed to beat my running nemesis, Adam, who posted a 3.26 in New York so Paris or Madrid 09 beckons now.

Post Race Celebrations

Post race celebrations were not as extravagant as previous years. A quick post-race massage laid on by local massage students (thank you Rita from Italy) and then I was happy enough to sit in the garden while Mark's 2 year old, Ben, excited at having another playmate set about finding every ball he owns. "Come, Uncle John, come" he said taking my hand and dragging my crippled form from my seat for some random throwing and kicking practice. A road trip to the States the next weekend saw Mark and I consume a healthy amount of beer in the interests of a balanced lifestyle.

Thank You!

Anyway, a huge "THANK YOU" to each and everyone of you for sponsoring me yet again. For most of you, this is the second time this year and I really appreciate every pound, every single penny of which goes straight to TACT. It is such a small charity with a very low profile and this year's charity activities go towards paying the wages of a much-needed extra member of staff. It really is that tight. This site will remain 'live' for a few more weeks so if you can spare a few quid, it would be terrific.

And a special thanks to all the Robinsons (Mark, Barb, Ben, Aunty Mary & Uncle John) for making the whole trip so memorable.

Champagne

One last thing - the prize. If you remember, there was a prize of a bottle of champagne for the person who guessed the average time of my two marathons this year. I had let you know that London was in 3.55 so with Toronto's 3.33 this makes an average of 3.44. Despite a terrific attempt from Cynthia Kennedy to have a guess AFTER the race results for Toronto had been published (and still missing out - your honesty shines through, Cynthia), the prize goes to the lovely Hemmers. I know the champers will be drunk with grace and style, Hemmers!

Thanks for reading, I will be in touch in the Spring! John x

If you want a laugh, please look at this webpage which has some photos from the day. Please note that the 3.36 on the clock at the finishing line is the gun time and not my chip time, which was 3.33