Sunday 15th April promises to be a day to remember for Patrick Rice, as he prepares to run the Paris Marathon for international animal welfare charity The Donkey Sanctuary.

Patrick and his family, who live near Woodbridge in Suffolk, have been much valued supporters of The Donkey Sanctuary for a number of years, and as he enters the final stages of his marathon training, Patrick explains his inspiration for entering the event:

“The Donkey Sanctuary is a cause very dear to me and my family. Some years back, our only daughter, Rebecca, was killed and rather than have flowers at her funeral we asked everybody to donate money to The Donkey Sanctuary as this was a charity close to her heart. The theme continued when our eldest son, Seb, ran the London Marathon, in 2008, in order to raise additional funds for the Sanctuary. In that sense, I am following in his footsteps by running a marathon in Rebecca’s memory.

“I am pleased to say that all is going according to plan in terms of training for the Paris Marathon. I have recently completed my prep race, the Brentwood Half-Marathon, in one hour, 57 minutes and five seconds, which I must say I'm really chuffed about. I was aiming for two hours and 15 minutes or thereabouts, so I can't believe the time I did. Fingers crossed for the big day in under three weeks' time!

“If you would like to sponsor my efforts for The Donkey Sanctuary, please visit http://www.justgiving.com/Patrick-Rice.”

To find out more about The Donkey Sanctuary, please visit http://www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk.

For an interview, further information or images, please contact The Donkey Sanctuary press office on 01395 573097/573014, mobile 07970 927778 or via email.

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