Thanks for visiting my fundraising page.

I am taking part in the Bupa Great South Run in memory of my dearly departed grandfather, Ernie Smith, who sadly passed away earlier this year. He was a wonderful man who had always sought to live life to the fullest, and showed great courage during his long, hard-fought battle with cancer. Ernie will live on in many people's hearts for his kind nature and brilliant anecdotal humour.

This will be the first 10 mile run I have participated in so I would appreciate all your encouragement in the form of any donation you can make. I have set a target of £400 but any money would be hugely appreciated, so please just give what you can. If you can think of anyone else who may be willing to donate then please forward them this link:

http://www.runningsponsorme.org/rapsmith

The race takes place on Sunday 24 October in Southsea, Portsmouth (click here to view the course). If you can make it along on the day then it would be great to see you there.

Thank you very much for all your kind support.

Update: On Wednesday 4th August I competed in my first 10k road race in my old home town of Yateley, reaching the finish line in a time of 47m48s. So just got to train for an extra 6k now!

Update: Thank you so much to all of you who helped me to reach my provisional target of £300, your support is hugely appreciated. Since I wouldn't want people to think that they no longer need to sponsor me, I'll bump up the target and hopefully I can continue to raise even more money for Cancer Research UK.

Update: I have now received my run number, which is 4853. The event is being televised live on Channel Five so tune in on the morning of Sunday 24 October and keep your eyes peeled for my head bobbing above the crowd!

Update: WOW! Thank you all so much for helping me reach my target of £400, I am really grateful for your kind support.

Update: DONE! On Sunday 24th October 2010 I finished the Bupa Great South Run in a time of 1:19:47 (well within my 1 hour 30 mins target), coming in 2260th out of a record 23,000 entrants. I had a really great day made all the more enjoyable by the beautiful weather and fantastic support from the crowds of spectators gathered at the roadside, including all those aboard the Cancer Research UK cheering bus. Thank you so much to everyone who was kind enough to sponsor me and help raise over £400 for Cancer Research UK in the process.

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Cancer Research UK gets your money faster and, if you're a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

So please sponsor me now!