NEW HEART UNIT AND ELIMINATION OF POLIO - THOSE ARE OUR CAUSES

So why on earth would you want to run a Marathon, or even a Half Marathon for that matter?

Here's why. There are two major charity appeals for which to raise money.

The first is the Herald Express Heart Appeal, which aims to provide a new unit for heart patients at Torbay Hospital.

Coronary heart disease is the commonest cause of death in this country.

About 1.4 million people suffer from angina and there are 300,000 heart attacks a year. Chest pains account for around a quarter of all emergency admissions to hospital and are a major strain on the NHS.

Torbay Hospital is recognised nationally as a centre of excellence for heart treatment, and its skilled staff have achieved "Beacon" status despite the fact that the coronary care unit is housed in temporary accommodation.

Patients have to go to different sites within the hospital, sharing diagnostic and treatment facilities with other departments.

As a consequence the facilities are under pressure and too many patients have to be transferred to Plymouth, the South West's regional cardiac centre.

The solution is a purpose-built Chest Pain Unit costing £1.5 million. And the Herald Express has set out to raise a third of the total by the end of next year.

The proposed CPU will bring together 50 or more inpatient beds with direct access for ambulances. It will have observation triage - effectively an outpatients wing - that will reduce the number of patients kept in overnight.

There will be a cardiac catheterisation laboratory with £750,000 of high-tech equipment for the exclusive use of the heart specialists.

Benefits include rapid diagnosis and risk assessment, earlier specialist care, better case management and easier links with rehabilitation services.

The new unit is expected to reduce the number of patients hospitalised by up to two thirds and it will also reduce the pressure on Torbay's over-stretched accident and emergency department.

The second great reason to run the race is to help Rotary International eradicate polio worldwide by 2005

Polio is a killer which strikes mainly at children and has already been beaten in most places worldwide.

But it is still clinging on in some parts of the planet. Rotary and a group of other organisations aim to release its grip for good.

In 1985, Rotary launched the PolioPlus programme to protect children worldwide from the cruel and fatal consequences of polio.

Three years later the World Health Assembly challenged the world to eradicate polio.

Since that time, Rotary's efforts and those of partner agencies, including the World Health Organisation, the United Nations Children's Fund, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and governments around the world, have achieved a 99 percent reduction in the number of polio cases worldwide.

Rotarians stand at the brink of a great victory and look forward to celebrating the global eradication of polio in 2005, the organisation's centennial year.

In September 1994, the entire Western Hemisphere was certified polio free. But some of the most difficult battles have yet to be fought.

Ten countries remain polio endemic. Many of these countries lack sufficient political and economic commitment, or are embroiled in conflicts.

The aim is to catch children who are non-immunised, or only partially protected, and boost the immunity of children already immunised. This way, every child in the most susceptible age group is protected against polio at the same time - instantly depriving the virus of the fertile seedbed to thrive.

To date, a total of nearly 500 million has been committed by Rotary International to achieve its aim by 2005, which will be Rotary's centenary year.