Here we go, here we go, here we go!

Well, here we go then. I can't believe it's finally here, but tomorrow is indeed the day of the London Marathon. This time tomorrow I will just be getting towards the finishing line - only to run straight past the line and onto the real run; 86 miles back to St. Ives.



I have spent the last couple of days checking and rechecking my equipment, and packing everything that I will need just in case. As you can see, we have (hopefully!) preempted most possibilities. I had to stop myself repacking my bags for the third time this morning, and just hope that I haven't forgotten anything!



This morning was spent doing a few final checks with my lovely support crew. Here they are enjoying the lovely lunch we prepared for them in the sun! I have a fair bit of support (some of whom aren't in this photo - sorry you missed lunch!). They are (from left to right):

Dan: Rescue Coordinator
Dan is my best friend and is also a crazy nutjob. Where it not for a dodgy ankle you can bet he would be coming with me! His job is to come and find my body should anything go wrong!

Zoe: Dogsitter
Zoe gets the enviable job of looking after Max while mummy is out making sure daddy doesn't do anything stupid...

Max: Official Mascot
He basically hangs around being cute. Just like me! He's the dog by the way, not the other hairy one. That's...

Herbs: Cheerleader
Herbs will be leading the cheers when I make it back into St. Ives on Monday. I expect pom poms!

Jen: Support Crew Coordinator
My long suffering fiancée Jen will be in charge of this motley crew, and will be doing most of the driving overnight. She'll also be making sure I don't do anything stupid; mainly because she loves me, but also because she wants me to landscape the garden next week!

Chelsea: Official Physiotherapist
Chelsea is my own personal physio, and will be putting me back together again when this is all over! This seems to mainly involve sticking electrified needles into me...

Not shown here are my London crew, who will be supporting me at the marathon itself and helping me to get out of the M25 in one piece:

Pete: Official Biographer
Peter will be following me with a camera for most of the route. Of course he will be relying on public transport. I'll be interested to see who gets there first! The video may well be released posthumously...

Dave: Official Doctor
Dave is a real doctor (not a phake one like me) and will be following me through the London leg (along with Pete) with Mr. Men plasters in case I make a booboo.




With bags all packed, I headed out the door. As you can see, I got a fond farewell from Max! And because he looks so goshdarn cute in his Epilepsy Society shirt, here's another one.



This is the first blog from my trip. I'm currently on the train heading into London. I hope the return journey is as easy... I'll be blogging a fair bit over the next couple of days to keep everybody up to date on how I'm getting on. The little map down to the right of the blog should show you where I currently am, so you can see how I'm getting on.

Please leave comments, I'm sure they will help me tomorrow on the lonely trip through the night! And there's still plenty of time to sponsor me. All proceeds will be going to the Epilepsy Society - a fantastic cause and a wonderful group of people!

All that remains is for me to say goodbye, and I'll see you all on the other side!