"My step-brother is profoundly disabled. My former doctoral supervisor, Professor Stephen Hawking, who is in the news at present again around the Oscar-winning film Theory of Everything and the book it is based upon, Travelling to infinity, as most people know is a long-running sufferer of the disease.
"This race is 56 miles long. I have trained for several months on rollerskis around Cambridge, which has many usable bike paths nowadays. However, the furthest I have skied in training is 32 miles: out to St Ives and back. It'll be a step into the unknown," added Justin, who is Director of Cambridge Investment Research.
The Vasaloppet race starts at 7am GMT (8am local) on Sunday, March 8. It is the most famous cross-country ski marathon in the world, and is based on some 16th century Swedish royal history.
The race is televised in Sweden and much of its population watches it. There is a webcam on the finishing line all day and apps that cover it live. Now in its 91st year, there are 15,800 competitors, of which only 15 are British. All of those places were booked out within 90 seconds of the online opening last March. The elite skiers will finish in around four hours. Many will take longer than 12! It is quite a sight to see so many skiers begin at the same time.
Some more information, some pictures, a video of the most recent Vasaloppet race and the fund-raising page are linked here:
https://www.justgiving.com/Justin-Hayward1
Justin adds: "Many thanks for any support for the MNDA."
Image: Hayward at finishing line in Mora in 2012
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