There will be some very sore and stiff legs this morning among the 10,413 who ran the Dublin Marathon yesterday. I’ve run that marathon twice (in 2005 and 2006) and it’s a great course. Congratulations to all who took part yesterday, whatever their finish time. Running a marathon is an amazing experience. I’d dreamt of doing it since I was a kid and I am so glad I finally got round to fulfilling the dream in 2005, when I ran what remains my personal best time: 4hrs 3mins.

The following year I chose the Progeria Research Foundation (PRF) as my charity. The PRF works to raise awareness and find a cure for the Progeria Syndrome which is a rare, fatal genetic condition characterized by an appearance of accelerated aging in children. The Syndrome’s rarity is of little comfort to those who suffer from it, of course. Children with Progeria suffer strokes and heart attacks as early as five years of age and die of heart disease at an average age of just 13 years.

I was inspired to run for the PRF after watching a Channel 4 documentary about some Indian children with the condition, which you can see here. There is a shorter video about them here. You can read more about Progeria and the fight to find a cure here. Good luck to all the Progeria kids and their families and friends.

Here’s a video of me finishing that second marathon. That’s me coming over the line in a light blue t-shirt (and white Israel football shorts which I’d purchased in Tel Aviv the previous month!) on 46 seconds and 54 seconds.