In a moment of madness I may have signed up for something which I’m in no way, shape or form ready for – yet here we are!

For several years now, including in the midst of the COVDID-19 pandemic, I’ve accompanied my marathon running wife around the world as she undertakes the gruelling 26.2 mile races in some truly stunning cities.

One of these places has been the city of Berlin, a city steeped in Cold-War history and a place which I, to this day, continue to find truly fascinating.

This year, the BMW Berlin Marathon celebrates its 50th anniversary and for the third time in recent history, my wife has won a ballot place to take part in the race. And here the story begins.

Since our visit Berlin marathon back in (insert date here), I couldn’t help but notice walking through the marathon expo there seemed to be a lot stands selling inline skating gear and there seemed to be a lot of non marathon running looking types also with race numbers, dressed in everything from full lycra and aerodynamic helmets to cargo shorts and flip flops.

It turns out, inline skating the German captial is a massive deal, and each year they also host an Inline Skating marathon on the same weekend as the traditional marathon. With Rollerblade is one of the main sponsors, I was instantly taken back to my teenage years skating around town wearing baggy jeans and listening to music by Placebo and Avril Lavinge. And with this the descent into skating madness began.

After the most recent Berlin marathon in 2022, I jokingly said if we were ever back and the wife was running the marathon again, then I was going to sign up to do the inline skating marathon too. I’m not going to lie, I may have said it under the pretence that I never thought my wife would get a ballot place for a third time but I guess I should be more careful about what I say!

So as I sit and write this in the backdoor enjoying the much-needed sunshine in between nightshifts, I now have just under four months to get inline skating marathon ready. To say this is going to be a challenge would be an understatement, especially as I haven’t been on a pair of roller blades for over 20 years. Well, tell a lie, I did have two attempts in recent years which were short lived when I was reminded I’m no longer as young, fit and flexible as I was back in the day.

And just to add even more pressure to the whole shenanigans, I’ve decided to use this opportunity to also fundraise for the Coastguard Association – the charity dedciated to supporting Coastguard personnel and their families in their time of need. Some may think I have an alterier motive and this is just a clever ploy to create content for the charities social media feeds and digital magazine which I manage, and these people may be partially collect.

So this blog marks the start of my inline skating marathon training and fundraising venture as I prepare to roll into Berlin and raise money for a charity very close to my heart.

I have no doubt it will be a long and sometimes bumpy road a head over the coming months as the days and weeks pass by and Berlin becomes ever close, but I’m hoping I’m still young enough to make sure I can bounce back and overcome any barriers, both physically and metaphorically, which may appear in the way.

Wish me luck!

You can help me on my fundraising challenge by donating online at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/rolling-in-berlin-inline-skating-marathon

You can also donate straight from your mobile phone. Text COASTGUARD to 70085 to donate £1 or to 70450 to donate £5 – standard message rates apply.

The Coastguard Association is the charity dedicated to supporting Coastguard personnel and their families in their time of need.