Having started my ultra-distance (anything over the 26.2 miles marathon distance) running in 2012, with the London Ultra 50K in February, the Croydon Ultra (30-mile event) in July and the North Downs Way 50 mile event in August, I decided to celebrate life at 45 years old by running five 50-mile events in 2013. As a bonus, 2013 is the 50th Anniversary of Twycross Zoo, so it’s a perfect opportunity for this running ape to raise money for the zoo’s bonobos, highly endangered great apes only found in the Democratic Republic of Congo.