Paris Marathon
On 8th April, I will be completing 26.2 miles of running on the streets of Paris – a year ago I couldn’t run a mile without being out of breath!
Chris in Uganda, April 2017
This time last year, I sat like many, watching the thousands of runners completing the London marathon. I sat there reminiscing about the time I completed it (in a very sluggish 5hr 43mins) in 2005, but also realised I had not really done exercise since that time.
Overweight, with three young children and needing some motivation – I decided I would try again. So, deciding that London would be a ‘one off’ I looked online for another marathon challenge. I settled on Paris, not too far to travel, in the middle of half term (for recovery) and it was nearly 50 weeks away – so plenty of time to train. My aim – to finish!
More than this however, I wanted to inspire my three children. To show them that perseverance pays off, to show them the importance of exercise and to inspire them to do things for others too.
Completing his first 10k race, with a PB!
You see, as well as an act of self-improvement, this has also been an attempt to raise funds and awareness about two charities close to my heart. Macmillan Cancer Support and Global Challenge UK. The former is an amazing charity, which has supported many affected by cancer. The latter, I am proud to be a trustee of and the money I raise will go towards developing a new school for some of the poorest children near Soroti, Uganda.
Here I am, 48 weeks later. I have lost around three and a half stone in weight, completed a training run of 20.1 miles last weekend and have so far raised over £1000 for the two charities. In two weeks’ time I hope to complete the marathon – quicker than my last marathon outing – but also with a new-found love of running and having raised money for two good causes.
All money raised will be split equally between these two fantastic charities, so if you wish to donate please visit http://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/chrisknight3