My Story

A few years ago, I interviewed Alan Shearer about the foundation that carries his name. It was also about him; an attempt to find out what makes the Premier League's greatest goalscorer tick. Whether I succeeded in that or not, I'm not sure (you can read the piece below) but I certainly got an insight into the incredible, vital services provided by the Alan Shearer Centre, the lovely people who work there and use it (for free), and just how committed Alan is to it. It is a respite and social facility for people with complex disabilities. It is a beautiful, warm, welcoming place and it blew me away. It also costs £320,000 a year to run.

You can find out more about it here: https://www.alanshearerfoundation.org.uk/

At the end of the interview, I told Alan that I would run a marathon to try and raise some money for his foundation. A few things got in the way of that: Covid, for one thing, injuries, life in general and a failure to get into the ballot for London.  In the meantime, Alan became a colleague of mine at The Athletic, where we worked together closely. I consider him a firm friend.

This year, the ballot came up trumps. I have to be honest: part of me was devastated, which might sound a bit counter intuitive. I have run five marathons (and one virtual marathon) before. Each of them has broken me in various ways - mentally, physically, both. I love half-marathons, but the longer distance doesn't suit me. It challenges me in ways nothing else in my life has. If you can afford to support me, it will make it worthwhile. Thank you. 

Alan - you are my hero and I love you. I know how much you value punctuality, so I apologise for being so late, but this is me keeping my promise to you.

 https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/1649096/2020/03/06/alan-shearer-interview-charity-newcastle-united/?source=emp_shared_article