Congratulations to Martin on completing the London Marathon
Despite the record heat wave for a London Marathon yesterday, Martin arrived at the finish line safely in a very respectable 4.17.38
And having completed the course some 3 minutes before celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey and pipping Scooby doo at the post in a fast finish, he was particularly pleased with his performance.
But this really is the last marathon that Martin will be competing in and he has already hung up his trainers!
His plans for next year include attending the marathon as a spectator only - to enable him to savour and enjoy the day without the pain.
He has currently raised £7000 individually and is donating £3000 himself to take his individual grand total raised to £10,000. Martin and his fellow seven runners are on course to hit £50,000 for the 40-year-old charity The Gentleman's Night Out.
Martin would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support in the money raised. This will go to some very deserving people many of whom face a marathon every day of their lives.
Previous Marathon Updates
London Marathon – Sunday 22 April 2007 The Gentlemen’s Night Out ( GNO ) Marathon Team
Martin has decided to dust off his running shoes, and fill up on carbohydrates to raise money for charity. He will be running in a team of eight looking to raise a minimum of £60,000 for The Gentlemen's Night Out charity (GNO).
If you would like to pledge your support to this very worthwhile cause please email louiseg@ludgatepartnership.co.uk who will arrange everything for you – it's as simple as that!
Download Martin's training schedule (PDF 24Kb)
Marathon Update 28 February 2007
For those of you with long memories... ... I know I said I would never do it again ...I know I said I was retiring ...and, like my fellow athlete Sir Steve (don’t laugh), I know I said if I mention it again please shoot me! OK so I lied
...but that was before our chairman of the GNO, Arnie Kaplan, nabbed me in a moment of weakness, not that I needed too much persuading.
The GNO was established over 40 years ago to distribute funds regardless of race, colour, creed or age to individuals and organisations that do not have the ability to raise funds for themselves.
Every year the GNO helps hundreds of poorly children make their dreams come true and improves the quality of life for many people across the region less fortunate than us. There are no administration overheads, with every penny being distributed to where it is needed most. Please take a few moments to look at the GNO website at www.thegentlemensnightout.co.uk to see the wide variety of beneficiaries helped by the charity.
The GNO Marathon Team, comprising of eight finely tuned athletes (look I have told you once don’t laugh!) aims to raise over £60,000 and with your help hopefully we can achieve that and more.
As an added incentive to entice you for sponsorship money, the top three sponsors will receive a personal invitation to be my guest at the spectacular 2007 Gents Night Out Christmas Extravaganza – where Poppleton & Appleby have a coveted Gold Table which makes gold dust seem freely available!
My two children Hollie and Tom, perhaps not unsurprisingly, consider their lycra clad father to be an object of ridicule and amusement and cannot conceive of the fine athlete I once was (it’s amazing how the years can cloud the memory). Anyway, you too can join my kids in having a good laugh at my expense knowing that your sponsorship will force me out on cold rainy evenings for what I can assure you is the most immense physical and mental torture.With your support, I am more than happy to continue the suffering, as many of the people we will be helping simply don’t have that choice.
If you would like to pledge your support to this very worthwhile cause please email louiseg@ludgatepartnership.co.uk who will arrange everything for you – it's as simple as that!
And, for an extra £10 you can guess my finishing time the winner will receive half the pot. In 1999 I ran 3.39.59, but as I approach 50 in August this year, I rather suspect it will be a tad slower than that this year.