As Malaria No More’s team of 25 runners prepares for Sunday’s New York City marathon, Alistair Fernie reflects on his fundraising efforts in last year’s race:

A lot of people thought I was insane to run the New York City marathon in 2008 two and a half weeks after my wife had given birth to twins. But as an experienced charity fund-raiser, I knew that nothing would help more with getting sponsorship for Malaria No More (except perhaps running in a giant mosquito costume). Most people think marathon runners are mad. Most people think people who have young twins deserve enormous sympathy. And charity sponsorship is all about milking that “rather you than me” feeling to raise funds for a good cause – “if this guy’s prepared to go through such agony, I should give some cash!”

I decided to raise money for Malaria No More because I had come across them in my work at the UK Mission to the United Nations in New York, and been impressed by the clarity of their mission. I was also about to move to Nairobi as head of the UK government’s Department for International Development office there, running the British aid programmes in Kenya and Somalia…

Read more about Alistair’s experience in Africa and his reflections on running the marathon last year for Malaria No More on the Malaria No More UK website.

The 2009 team is getting ready to run the marathon on Sunday! Go team!