Whilst I have wanted to run the London Marathon since seeing my friend's father's medal on the wall as a kid, my reason now is much more personal and important. My brother, Simon, has been living with Type 1 diabetes for decades. It has affected his life, and his lifestyle, profoundly. And as he gets older, some of the harder realities of the disease are manifesting themselves, such as the impact on his eyes. He is facing a long wait for a "closed loop system" (effectively, an artificial pancreas), which combines an automatic insulin pump and glucose monitor that interract to ensure that users get the right dosage at the right time, taking the imprecision that inevitably comes with the manual equivalents out of the equation, with significant cumulative benefits over a life lived with diabetes. They have been offered on the NHS since April 2024, and in part this was thanks to the campaigning of Diabetes UK. Beyond that, the charity does great work in funding research to find a cure, and in enhancing the technology available to mitigate the negative impact of the disease in the meantime.
Anything you can donate to support this greatest of causes, and - more immediately - my brother, would be greatly appreciated.
About the London Marathon
The London Marathon has become an annual, inspiring and colourful fixture in the world’s sporting calendar since the inaugural race on 29 March 1981: a celebration of fun, fundraising and fancy dress.
Over the years more than a million people have completed the 26.2-mile course – which runs from Blackheath to The Mall, with a spectacular finish in front of Buckingham Palace, showcasing the very best that the capital city has to offer.
What’s more, these participants have raised over a billion pounds for charity and there have been countless amazing tales of human achievement throughout the event’s history – living up to its aim of helping participants ‘to have fun, and provide some happiness and sense of achievement in a troubled world’.
Whilst I have wanted to run the London Marathon since seeing my friend's father's medal on the wall as a kid, my reason now is much more personal and important. My brother, Simon, has been living with Type 1 diabetes for decades. It has affected his life, and his lifestyle, profoundly. And as he gets older, some of the harder realities of the disease are manifesting themselves, such as the impact on his eyes. He is facing a long wait for a "closed loop system" (effectively, an artificial pancreas), which combines an automatic insulin pump and glucose monitor that interract to ensure that users get the right dosage at the right time, taking the imprecision that inevitably comes with the manual equivalents out of the equation, with significant cumulative benefits over a life lived with diabetes. They have been offered on the NHS since April 2024, and in part this was thanks to the campaigning of Diabetes UK. Beyond that, the charity does great work in funding research to find a cure, and in enhancing the technology available to mitigate the negative impact of the disease in the meantime.
Anything you can donate to support this greatest of causes, and - more immediately - my brother, would be greatly appreciated.
About the London Marathon
The London Marathon has become an annual, inspiring and colourful fixture in the world’s sporting calendar since the inaugural race on 29 March 1981: a celebration of fun, fundraising and fancy dress.
Over the years more than a million people have completed the 26.2-mile course – which runs from Blackheath to The Mall, with a spectacular finish in front of Buckingham Palace, showcasing the very best that the capital city has to offer.
What’s more, these participants have raised over a billion pounds for charity and there have been countless amazing tales of human achievement throughout the event’s history – living up to its aim of helping participants ‘to have fun, and provide some happiness and sense of achievement in a troubled world’.
