Cristin Merritt

[p][lt]img src="https://orangesqueaky.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/13063166_10153735318279302_6199567550680378768_o.jpg?w=788" alt="London Marathon 2016 finisher medal" width="788" height="788" /[gt][/p][p][b][span=color: #800000;]I DID IT!  I FINISHED MY THIRD MARATHON AND MY SECOND LONDON MARATHON!  THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO SUPPORTED MY JOURNEY![/span][/b][/p][p]Through what I am sure is either a huge blessing or a massive ballot system error I have managed my own place in the London Marathon - AGAIN![/p][p]As this is my second time I have decided to support not one but TWO charities in honour of my second time around.[/p][p]First, my go-to super-amazing marathon charity, [b]The National Autistic Society[/b].  [/p][p]I have two wonderful brothers, one who happens to live with autism. What the NAS does is provide help, support, education for people who live with and are impacted by autism.  They've done incredible things in the time I've started fundraising for them, including opening a school in Reading similar to what my brother attends in the States.  I am proud to continue supporting a great group that understands those living with autism, so this was a no-brainer.[/p][p]And now, my new charity: [b]WWF[/b]![/p][p]Those who know me know I moved from the oil and gas land of Texas to the countryside of Oxfordshire.  In my almost seven years here I've really come to appreciate the beauty of nature, from the fact that I live near a rare fenland to a real (yes, real) appreciation of the English seaside.  I also call far too many four legged creatures family.  I wanted to thank England for teaching me so much about the wild, and the WWF is, in my opinion, an excellent way to give back.[/p][p]So, please donate generously.  Remember, your donations are what guilt me into doing all the training, which will result in my crossing the finish line in 2016.  [/p]