As a tribute to my Mum’s 55th Birthday yesterday I have decided that I will run 55km (35 miles) on Saturday 16th May. I’ll clock up the distance doing laps of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. To put the distance into perspective, it is equivalent to running around an athletics track 137.5 times.

I still mourn her death to this day as I have never understood why she was taken from me at 5 years old. I turned 30 this year, the age she was when she sadly passed away which really hit home how young she was and how much of her life she had left to live.

As most of you know, my Nan has terminal cancer, I went to visit her yesterday (from a safe distance with a mask on) and it broke my heart when she told me how useless she felt. She had hoped to visit the cemetery one last time to wish my Mum a Happy Birthday but wasn't  able to make it.

I know this ultra-marathon is a crazy idea and I certainly haven’t trained for this sort of distance. The Marathon (42.2km) I ran in September was the most physically and mentally challenging thing I have ever done. The 55km on Saturday will really test my mental and physical strength but in my mind I will know the pain I will experience will be nothing like the pain my Nan is going through nor the pain my mum went through before she died. Knowing this, I will ensure I reach the 55km target even if it means I have to crawl the last few kilometres!

I would be most grateful if you could please donate £5.50 (no more) to Melanoma UK, a Skin Cancer Charity. (Skin Cancer was my mum's cause of death).

I will set off at 7am and I envisage it will take c. 5 hours so I hope to finish at around midday. Any support on the day if you are around Hyde Park is also welcome. 

Thank you,
Tommy

Tommy Leigh