I've decided that I will run the CAPITAL RING for my birthday in July, and I will try to raise £1000 for Beit El Baraka, a non-profit that offers dignity and support to Lebanese families that have been deprived of their basic needs and rights. It's hard to know where to focus our efforts at the moment, but between the genocide in Gaza, settler violence in the West Bank and the apocalyptic war crimes that have taken place in Iran, there has also been a disturbing campaign of bombing, land annexation and displacement of at least 1.3 million in Lebanon, presumably to live and die in tents for the rest of their lives like so many Palestinians. Since I wrote this they dropped 100 bombs on Beirut in 10 minutes, killing 300+ and injuring 1000s of civilians, without warning. Yes, Israel and the USA are terrorist states, it's hard to comprehend the damage done to humanity and where it ends.

So the CAPITAL RING is a 126 kilometer walkable loop which completely surrounds London. I will sensibly do this over two days, most likely July 7th and 8th, beginning at Springfield Park in Hackney, and running counter clockwise, I'll find myself at Richmond Park roughly halfway through, where I will find an inn for the night. So it will be two 63km ultramarathons back to back. It'll test every fibre of my patience, it will be lonely and irritating and maddening and painful and drudgery but I’M SURE a wonderful time along with all that. I’ve called London my home for 15 happy years and the idea of shuffling round it in a 100 mile loop and doing something about this psychotic violence, it feels like the right way to spend my birthday. If anyone would like to join me in jogging a section (there are 15), I will link to the gpx route here so you can see if I'm I’m your neighbourhood on either of the two days!