Below I have shared a message from my good friend and comrade Chris Hall who will be running yet another London Marathon in aid of North West Cancer Research.

All publicity is good publicity and I would urge on my readers to sponsor Chris via his JustGiving page. You can find a link to this sponsorship page below or by just clicking on this paragraph.

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In just over a week I will be running the LONDON MARATHON (26 miles) on  Sunday 27 April 2025 in aid of North West Cancer Research (incorporating Clatterbridge Cancer Research).At 61 I’m a  “fun runner” still delighted to still be running in support of my chosen charity. I hope you will back me in this good cause and help me to reach my target of £2,000. Many thanks in advance for your generosity and kind support.

This will be my  27th London Marathon since 1989 and I know how painful it will be when I get to miles 20-26, but my tough training helps me to cope in the knowledge that I am supporting a great charitable cause. If you would like to sponsor me, just click on the link below to go to my JustGiving page…..

https://www.justgiving.com/page/christopher-hall-27

I have been training since last November, over Christmas and into the New Year, with a view to peaking in late March, and then tapering my running as we get closer to “race day”. I completed the 2024 London Marathon last April, in 4 hours 0 minutes 51 seconds, which went to plan.

<image.png>This year I’ve had difficulties with my neck vertebrae so my running has been severely curtailed; nevertheless I managed a cautious 18 mile run a couple of days ago. It’s a positive step and I’m hopeful that all my training will hold me in good stead and I’ll be OK on Sunday 27th April. 

The London crowds always help to pull me round the course. There will be lots of fantastic live music along the route: Japanese drummers, Calypso bands, Scottish bagpipes, Jazz bands, Indian Dhol drummers, Salvation Army bands, local disco DJ’s and community choirs etc. The atmosphere is electric and it’s a great day if the sun is shining, but not too hot. If I can get to the start line at Greenwich I’m confident I can finish the 26.2 mile course and with your support we’ll raise £2,000 for North West Cancer Research.

I am totally inspired by the research which takes place at Lancaster, Liverpool and Bangor Universities, enabling us to learn a great deal more about cancer and how best to treat it; scientists are analysing in detail the doses of chemotherapy and intervals between treatments for example. We are learning that sometimes less is more effective, which is quite a revelation.

Cheers, Chris