Domus | Et Iterum Incipit

XVI · III · MMXXV

ET ITERUM INCIPIT

OR: MARFAN BOY AND HIS PIG VALVE ARE GOING ON ANOTHER LONG JOG

What is this?

quid hoc est?

I
marfan boy

I have a genetic disorder called Marfan syndrome. It's a bit of an embuggerance. I was once told by a doctor I'd be "mostly fine, probably live a handful of years less than other people, but you definitely won't be running any marathons. Ever. You people don't."

II
Pig valve

I've had open-heart surgery twice in order to prevent my inevitable doom. They're very clever and I'm basically fine, but my aortal valve was stolen from a pig I'll never know but to whom my gratitude knows no bounds. I'll need to ask it of another one day.

III
Long jog

Despite all this, and several decades of dedication to slack living, beer, meats wrapped in carbohydrates, and a general acceptance that I was just "one of the fat people" in 2020 I lost 42kg and in 2021 I ran (with my cardiologist's blessing) the London Marathon. Now, after some backsliding, I propose to do it again.

XLII.II

RomA

Nestled on the calendar between the ides of March (the final day of the reign and life of C. IVLIVS CÆSAR) and the 19th of March (the first day of the 42nd year of my own reign), on the 16th of March 2025 I will be running the Rome Marathon, to the benefit of the Marfan Trust, who do incredibly important research and support work for people who are much, much more seriously impacted by Marfan syndrome than I am.

Rome

Why?

quare?

Good reasons

The Marfan trust do seriously good work. They're a small charity for a very rare condition, so the cash isn't exactly flowing in. I'm not a good example of what people with Marfan can go through, my struggles are minor and many can't live anything approaching normal lives. The biggest issue is education, and every year there are undiagnosed people who suddenly drop dead of it. It can be a grim business.

selfish reasons

I have, with occasional periods of exception, been backsliding massively since the last marathon. I need big, public goals to keep me going. This is definitely one of those. Basically I want to fit into my skinny suit again and lose these lovely breasts I've developed and I very much doubt I'd get much sponsorship or public attention for that.

For previous sponsors and the curious

You might have already sponsored me for the last one. I and the BHF are incredibly grateful. So why would you sponsor me again?

I. You absolutely don't have to. Thoughts and prayers will do.

II. It isn't covid anymore. I have a lot of work travel, far more social engagements, far more temptation and far less time.

III. Rome is harder than London - it has 4x the elevation gain of London, has a net 0 elevation change overall without the net drop that London had (meaning that London was, overall, downhill), and the last 6k are on cobbles. This is bad.

IV. London 2021 was in October, meaning you can train through the summer. This time it's March so my long training runs will be in the dark, the wet and the cold.

V. I am starting out my dedicated training in worse shape than I was for London.

VI. While I've been to Rome many times, I don't know my way around, the roads are unfamiliar and an unfamiliar route is a longer route.

Make no mistake, this will be a huge challenge. I will not be able to take it easy and having done one marathon 3 years earlier will not help.

Who is this?

QuiS es?

I am Tom. I am 208cm of brash noise of indeterminate nationality, although Norwegian and British are definitely both in there. I will never run fast, because tractors don't go faster because they have bigger wheels. Also I'm not allowed to (my cardiologist said).
I am a fundamentally lazy person who requires the threat of public disapproval in order to get things done. While there are more positive motivations available, this seems to the the one that works for me.
My best marathon time is a shade under 5:30, but the goal was only ever to finish, because it was always so unlikely that I ever would. That I finish twice is even more unlikely, so that remains my only goal this time.

I, Tom.

(The Pope's back garden. Anno 2023)

You've already run a marathon. Is this impressive or deserving of any support, in the form of cash or indeed anything less tangible?

You overestimate me. I'm really exceptionally lazy. Even on short, easy runs I spend at least half an hour faffing about finding reasons to not go out the door. This is immense and horrifying.
I know loads of people who have run marathons and they don't complain about it

There are people who actually enjoy running. I don't, it's terrible. I enjoy having run, but that's a very different thing.
You act like a dick a lot of the time, is Marfan actually bad?

Yes, it is. It's a genetic thing - if you've got the markers you've got it but the extent to which it impacts your daily life is up to the gods. I have to go through a relatively minor amount of crap since almost all of my days are lived relatively normally (there are pills, checkups, occasional major interventions and of course dealing with being a bit bigger than average), but some people with it can't live anything like a normal life. The really scary thing are the people who aren't diagnosed: one day their hearts just give in and they die. Lucky ones like me are spotted when they're young, followed up and can carry on as normal. A lot of the work the Marfan Trust do is involved in making sure these people do get spotted.
It must be easier to go faster because you're so tall

Is it buggery. Have you seen real marathon runners? They're tiny and weigh nothing. I am massive and weigh a lot. I'm like trying to drive around a race track in a fire engine. A lot of weight, little manoeuvrability, uses a lot of fuel, makes a lot of noise and when you take a step back and look at the situation you've really got to appreciate that it was the wrong tool for the job.
Did Epstein kill himself?

Weird question, this is a charity begging page.
What happens if you don't do it?

That's a better question: up to £1500 of sponsorship, I'll refund everyone and cover it myself. But really, with the world looking at me, I'll drag myself around by my teeth and fingernails before admitting I failed at it.

FAQ