Ben is running for EACH (and running and running and running)

I have done it! I completed the NYC Marathon in 4:28:50! What a day! You can still donate until the end of the year.

The story so far started on Christmas Eve 2009 after a few glasses of champagne and wine (always a good start), when it seemed a good idea to sign up to the Hermannslauf (no doubt with the signing-up-confirmation in my inbox the next morning this seemed like a questionable decision). The Hermmanslauf 2010 is a 31.1 km (19.3 mi) run through the Teutoburg forest, a forested mountain group in North Rhine-Westphalia. The run included inclines of over 500 m and a mixture of forest trail, sand paths, road and even steps. It took place on 25 April and I ran it with my sister Marte. (http://www.hermannslauf.de/hermannslauf/)

I completed the Hermannslauf in 3:21:30. It was far tougher than expected. The ascensions were longer, the terrain tougher, the sandpaths far more frequent than expected, the temperature was 25 degrees Celsius... It was very painful but I did it!

I did not rest after his challenge and I decided to add the Bristol 10k, Bristol Half Marathon and a Marathon to this year's battle plan: On 7 November, I added an additional 42km (26 mi) to the challenge and ran the Ing New York City Marathon 2010 (http://www.nycmarathon.org/). Hence I continued to train throughout the summer to be able to complete this successfully.

I completed the Bristol 10 k in 48:18, just a few days after the Hermannslauf. (http://www.bristolhalfmarathon.com/)

I completed the Bristol Half Marathon in 1:55:29, which did not seem very hard, with all the training I had done. However, it left me with a slight injury to my left foot, so my training leading up to the Marathon in New York did not go as well as I hoped.

The question of why I am doing all this might spring to mind. Although running the Hermannslauf started out as a personal challenge, I made the decision to run the New York marathon and the two Bristol runs to raise money for EACH - Educational Action Challenging Homphobia. EACH is an award-winning Bristol-based charity for adults and young people affected by homophobia. Their work includes offering support to young people affected by homophobic bullying. (http://www.eachaction.org.uk) I decided to run for EACH as their work really makes a difference to young people struggling to come to terms with their sexuality. From my own experience regarding these issues, I know that the type of work they do means so much to many young teenagers and I hope I will be able to make a difference by running this year.

I hope that you will support EACH and me!