Day 42 - £25,000 barrier smashed!

Thanks ever so much to today's new sponsors. The current total stands at:

£25,080.22

Thanks to a £200 pledge from Anthony Chapman, the fund is now over an incredible and most amazing £25,000. Over £16,200 has now been pledged from NUFC.COM readers. If you would like to add to this total please click on the justgiving link:

I've enjoyed reading the comments on the justgiving website over the last 6 weeks. The following are a selection of my favourites:

Ben Biggs - "Unbelievable. You've run further in 37 days than Kieron Dyer did in 8 years. Fantastic - well done." [Harsh but fair - MA]

Ian Mearns - "Just like the lads Top of the League. Well done mate!".

Jon L - "Forget those overpaid primadonnas, there'll only be one star at St James' on Saturday.".

Gordon - "Fantastic effort Mark, a real hero in black and white stripes for a change.".

Brian J - "I have really enjoyed logging onto your Blog site. A tremendous effort, a true inspiration."

Adrian S - "What a champion - I'll be cheering you even more than the 'lads' next Saturday.".

T Bramble - "Go on son (can I come back?) "

M Purdy - "You've already done more miles in a Toon shirt than certain players ever will!!! Well done mate...".

Steve R - "Well done mate I just hope the Toon show half as much spirit as this in the new season.".

Paul R - "Sorry I'm away today when you run past my house. I wanted to see the legend myself!".

Kev (Crook Mags) - "In the land of the Prince Bishops,we pray for giveness in your shins. Just do it, for all of us.".

Brigga Broggs - "Absolutely amazing! Makes me even more proud to be a Geordie.".

Horsey - "Good luck kidda, well done on stuffing the Mackem!!! "

Dave Nelson - "Howay, Mark! Pledging an extra £10 for the first of 3 Toon wins over the Mackems this year!"

Tom Bowlby - "Finest performance in a black & white shirt for a long time!".

LJB - "Ultimate respect mark, all the best! NUFC players to join you as part of pre-season?"

The Officers Club - "Good luck fat lad - if you drop some weight we can give you a new pair of jeans!". [Not so fat now! None of my jeans fit me anymore. Is the offer of a pair still valid? - MA]

Day 42 - So close to a major sponsorship landmark!

It's still hard to believe that the sponsorship amount for my efforts is just short of £25,000. That is an incredible amount and one that I did not dream was possible when I started planning the big run. I always thought that my initial target of £10,000 was possible so you can imagine how pleased I am with more than double that amount. Not to mention how pleased St Benedict's Hospice are!

It would be brilliant if the fund reached £25,000 before I did the lap of honour around St James' Park tomorrow.

Speaking of the lap of honour, I'm very excited about running around the pitch at half time. I'll be wearing the full home kit of course. My shinpads are in the wash so I'll be leaving them at home! Katy and Jack will be there to see the whole thing. It'll be Jack's first match. I found it daunting as a 15 year old going to the match for the first time (a 0-2 loss to QPR). Goodness knows how 4 year old Jack will cope with the noise.

I've asked the club to play some music from the Rocky soundtrack during the lap. I think the adrenalin will be pumping so fast, I doubt I'll even hear the music. I think Local Hero might get an airing too.

Hopefully, chants of "Who are ya, who are ya" and "You fat b*&^*d" will be kept to a bare minimum!

I've been promised a few beers afterwards in The Bridge by friends and colleagues. Due to my lack of drinking lately, my mate Dan Tweedy has reminded me that drinking is "a marathon not a sprint!". Sound advice indeed from the man who has missed more matches due to hangovers than I care to remember!