Ciaran Judge will be running his fourth London Marathon this weekend; he previously ran it in 2005, 2006 and 2007.
He told us which charity he is fundraising for, why running is so important to him and what helps him with his training...
"I am running the London Marathon for a charity called Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY).
"I was actually inspired to do it by a man called Daniel Wilkinson who passed away very suddenly from a previously undiagnosed heart condition. Daniel's family have built a foundation in his name and their determination to do good after such a tragedy inspired me to raise money for CRY.
"I also love running. It has given me so many great things in my life. It's so simple - a pair of trainers and off you go. Any age, shape or size can get something out of it.
"The London Marathon is so special to me because 18 months before I did my first one, I was really struggling with panic attacks and anxiety. I was stuck in a cycle of repeatedly going to the doctors to be told there was nothing wrong with me, and just being absolutely petrified without knowing why. One evening, I just had had enough and decided to run one mile as fast as I could (which wasn’t fast at all) and it just went from there. Within a year, I had lost four stone in weight and had completed the Great North Run; six months later, I completed the London Marathon with a group of friends, one of whom I managed to persuade to become my wife!
"The marathon is so pure. It's just you and 26.2 miles. You get out what you put in and there really aren't that many things in life you can say that about!
"My family have helped me hugely with my training. My wife has made sure I have been eating the right things and has been very patient with my aches and pains on top of the smelly kit!
"When I run, I listen to football podcasts and some music. I have done every single training run on my own - something that I am very proud of! It’s been tough but hopefully Sunday will be the pay off. I have never got under 5 hours - my best is 5 hours 51 seconds.
Sophie has really helped me. I went to see her just as I started my longer runs. Her positivity and her treatments really helped me. I became extremely neurotic with about three weeks to go before the marathon. My wife and Sophie shook me back into shape! I can’t recommend Sophie enough."
