Hey folks. For some reason, I decided it would be a really good idea to enter an ultramarathon. These reasons may have been a combination of alcohol and peer pressure. Anyway, the end result is that I'm signed up to do the Country To Capital 45 mile ultramarathon from Wendover in Buckinghamshire to central London. I'm not the lightest, skinniest, or fittest of people so this is going to be an interesting experience to say the least.

I have decided as this is so far out of my comfort zone that I really ought to try to use it to raise a few quid for a worthy cause, and I've chosen St Abbs independent lifeboat. Up until a year or so ago, St Abbs had an RNLI lifeboat providing much needed lifesaving services to the area, popular with scuba divers, fisherman, sailors and tourists. But for some reason, the RNLI as a large charity decided it was no longer worthy of funding. The 100% volunteer crew dedicated a huge effort to fighting this decision, with nothing to gain out of it themselves other than still being able to go out and risk their own lives to save others, but to no avail. So they then turned their efforts to fundraising in order to be able to setup an independent lifeboat so that they could continue to save lives at sea where the RNLI had chosen not to, and they have succeeded. But they need all the support they can get to keep the boat running. These guys are heroes, normal everyday people who will drop what they are doing to head out to sea in dangerous conditions to save others, and so I'm doing this challenge to try to support them. Any donation, big or small, gratefully accepted. And remember, I'm a fat lad who's going to try to run 45 miles. In January. No pressure...

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.