After last year's completion of the London Marathon wearing donkey costumes, the team from Spana couldn't resist putting the donkeys back in the running for this year's Virgin London Marathon on April 25.

The 2010 team is made up of Simon Pope, Director of Communications (this will be his second year), Aaron Lamb, Direct Marketing Officer and SPANA supporter, Tom Gainard.

Running a marathon is no easy task, but completing one wearing a 17kg donkey costume is "just plain crazy!"  In 2009 Spana's last donkey finished after a gruelling 9 hours and 11 minutes in what turned out to be a day of burning heat.

Completing the marathon this way is a very graphic reminder of the enormous burdens that working animals have to carry every day of their lives and the distances they have to carry them. "It’s true that many donkeys and mules have to complete a marathon every day of their working lives  - the team from Spana does it just once (or twice in Simon's case!)."

SPANA's work would not be possible were it not for the generosity of their supporters and they ask all to please give generously to support their team. Every penny will be helping to save the lives of working animals worldwide and improve the lives of the people who depend on them.

SPANA

Please go to www.spana.org for more information about their work.