Yesterday I completed my first official marathon during the Dinton 6 Hour Challenge. I then went on to hit my 30 mile target and finish 17th overall out of a field of 81.

The conditions were pretty horrible and there were definitely times when I questioned why I was continuing. It rained for at least 4 and a half hours of the run and the mud pools (ankle deep in places) were just destroying my feet.

However, I finished running in a little over 6 hours and in the process proved that I am on course in my training for my world record attempt later this year.

To put all of this into perspective - 6 months ago I was recovering from surgery and had just finished chemotherapy for my testicular cancer. I rarely ran and it wasn’t something I enjoyed.

I knew I had to raise awareness of testicular cancer and funds for BallBoys though so, 6 months later, here I am - 24 hours removed from my first race which I consider to be a success.

I am allowing myself a short recovery time before I head back out and get some more miles in my legs.

I will be taking part in more races and events this year in the run up to my world record attempt for fastest journey, on foot, from Lands End to John O Groats which begins on September 30th this year. This 6 hour run was a learning experience for me and there are definitely things I can change to increase my chances of success in September.

My main aim through all of my running is to get people talking about testicular cancer and making them aware of the support that is available to anyone who is concerned or who has been diagnosed. I wore my BallBoys hoodie for the entire 6 hours yesterday so maybe the other runners will be talking about it right now!

To find out more about what the Dinton 6 Hour Challenge is, have a read of my previous post here

To donate and help me raise awareness and funds please visit my JustGiving Page here