UPDATE
I DID IT!!! On Sunday 23rd April 2017 I completed the London Marathon in a time of 5 hours and 56 minutes...it was an incredible feeling and quite emotional to cross the finish line on the Mall knowing that I had achieved the challenge I set out for myself.
The physical and mental training I put myself through in the months leading up to the race were hours well spent. I had set myself the target of 6 hours to complete the 26 miles 385 yards so I was delighted to have come in just under that.
My fundraising will continue for three more months to cover the end of the academic year.
In total I raised £3,805 for Body and Soul - a huge thank you to everyone who donated to help me surpass my goal.
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2017 marks my 26th year of living with HIV and I decided it would be a great opportunity to set myself the challenge of running 26 miles 385 yards to mark the occasion.
I have been given a place by the charity Body and Soul which I helped to establish in the 1990s to run on their behalf.
Body and Soul delivers a proven transformational programme for people of all ages who have had adverse experiences early in life. Set up 20 years ago to support children, young people and families living with HIV, the charity has pioneered an holistic model of care that has now been extended to other groups, including teenagers who have been adopted and young people who have attempted suicide. Body and Soul believes that no one should have their life chances reduced because of traumatic experiences in their past.