I've just got back from 10 days in Zambia with my friend Chi visiting his family in Lusaka and Livingstone. An incredible trip. Such hospitality, great food, friendliness, a matabeto, the Vic Falls, the Zambezi.

With the marathon so close, I obviously had to do a lot of running while out there, which was stunning. My longest was 20 miles (hard at altitude and in the heat - good preparation!) in the outskirts of Lusaka, past embassies, schools, malls, shacks, waving kids, workers in trucks, acacias and blue skies, until the tarmac ran out and was replaced by a dusty orange road with lots of pot holes.

This will be my last blog piece before going to Sierra Leone. Thank you all so much for your sponsorship and support in my preparation for this event and in raising money for such a good cause. The organisation from Street Child and within Kiln has been so consummate that the only preoccupation for all us runners has been the training, which is a great position to be in. Thanks too to Rachael for her Gu fundraising, and to George for accompanying me on a fantastic run along the Thames from Westminster to Hampton Court.

Any further donations will be very gratefully received and will make a huge impact in improving the lives of deeply impoverished and disadvantaged children. I'd love to raise another £500 which will successfully fund one child's movement from life on the street to life back at home.

In order to donate, please go to: www.justgiving.com/SimonBianco

Many thanks again, 

Simon

Please click on the images below to view a slideshow of my visit to Zambia.