Thank you Birmingham!

I saw the absolute best of Birmingham today – a huge heart and a ton of grit. Today’s Birmingham half marathon brought together runners from around the world and we didn’t disappoint them. Just when your legs started screaming at you, you saw runners raising cash for an amazing charity, or running in memory of someone they loved – or a crowd cheering you on – simply amazing. I’m delighted I ran a personal best today – 1.54.50secs – and even happier we’ve raised over £1,000 for the West Midlands Police Benevolent Fund and Marie Curie. You can still give – send me an email pledge to byrnel@parliament.uk. Finally, a huge thank you to everyone who helped make today possible – runners, sponsors, supporters, organisers. It hurt – but it was a sheer privilige to take part!