A personal record of marathons run, charities supported, and peer-reviewed evidence on lower-body training and longevity. The point of this page is not fundraising. The point is the example.
Read the manifestoEvery meaningful change in healthspan begins with the same first slow mile. The record on this page is built one morning at a time — quietly, repeatedly, with no audience and no immediate reward.
Marathon running is, like investing, mostly the unglamorous part. Cold morning miles, repeated, with no audience and no immediate reward — the same patience a generational allocation programme demands. Two London marathons in 2011 and 2012, a National Three Peaks Challenge, and a HYROX in 2025: endurance work paced for a forty-year horizon.
The evidence on running and lower-body training for healthy lifespan is unambiguous. Adults who run regularly carry roughly 30% lower all-cause mortality and a three-year life-expectancy benefit, even at less than an hour per week. Lower-body strength alone predicts how long you live. The cost of starting is small; the cost of not starting is large.
Two London Marathons (2011, 2012), the National Three Peaks Challenge (Ben Nevis · Scafell Pike · Snowdon), and HYROX 2025. Endurance work as a habit, not an event — paced for a forty-year horizon, evidenced by the peer-reviewed literature on running and longevity.
Each race paired with a great charity. Past beneficiaries have included RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People) and Cancer Research UK — organisations whose work would deserve the support whether anyone ran or not. Future races will continue the pattern.
Most people have never seen the evidence on running and leg-based exercise laid out together in one place. Below is a short, sourced summary from peer-reviewed cohort studies and meta-analyses spanning roughly two million participants.
Citations sourced via Consensus, indexing Semantic Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, and arXiv. The summary above is general health information and is not personal medical advice. Before starting a new exercise programme, consult a qualified clinician — particularly if you have a known cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, or metabolic condition.
A working record of races run, the cities they were run in, and the great charities they have raised funds for. Past beneficiaries have included RNIB and Cancer Research UK.
Charity assignments per race reflect the partner organisations historically supported. Finishing times to be added once verified.
The UK's leading charity supporting blind and partially sighted people — offering information, advocacy, accessible products, and lifelong support for people with sight loss. Funds raised at the 2011 London Marathon went toward RNIB's frontline services.
Visit rnib.org.uk →The world's largest independent funder of cancer research. CRUK's work spans early detection, drug discovery, prevention research, and clinical trials — covering more than 200 types of cancer. Funds raised at the 2012 London Marathon went toward this research base.
Visit cancerresearchuk.org →Each future race — including HYROX 2025 — will be paired with a great charity announced in advance. The choice will follow the same standard: long-horizon work, low overhead, organisations whose missions reward patient, multi-year support.
Suggest a partner →The point of this page is not to ask anyone for money. It is to point to the evidence and the example. If you would like to be in dialogue about a future race — as a fellow runner, a partner charity to consider, or simply because you have decided this is the week you take your first slow mile — the channels below are open.
The single most useful response to this page would be to take a slow first mile this week. The evidence above is unambiguous on the minimum dose: less than an hour a week, slower than 6 mph, is enough to materially extend healthy life. Build the habit. The race that matters is the one you take on at age seventy.
Read the evidence →For charities interested in being considered as a future partner, for fellow runners considering a London or HYROX entry, or for any aligned correspondence on running, longevity, or the work the page is built on.