I am Alastair Reynolds, writer and former space scientist.

I am looking forward to running the Cardiff Half Marathon in support of Cancer Research Wales, in what will be my second time at the Cardiff Half following last year's event where I raised money for Alzheimer's UK.

Cancer is also a very personal cause to us as my sister and I lost both our parents to cancer, and our wider family, as well as our circle of friends, has also been touched by this unsparing disease. Cancer survival rates are improving, which is great, and there is exciting news from medical breakthroughs all the time, but there is still much more to be done. If you have read any of my books and stories, or watched the adaptations in Netflix's "Love, Death & Robots", you are only doing so because of the love and support given to me by my parents, so please consider thanking their memories by making a donation, however small, to CRW.

My funding target is 300 pounds. I'm hoping we can overshoot that, but any contribution at all will be a great motivator as I continue my running preparation through the next few months.

Many thanks,

Al R