Marathon plan: what is it with lawyers and marathons? Obiter is mightily impressed by the number of lawyers willing to pop on the jogging shorts and start pounding the streets - all in the name of 'charidee'. Take the lawyers pictured above from US firm Jones Day's London office. These uber-competitive City chaps, led by partner Giles Elliott, are completing a three-part challenge for Cancer Research - running the Paris Marathon on 6 April, stopping off for a petit café, then hopping on their bikes and cycling 300 miles to London to run the London marathon on 13 April. The team are almost half way towards their sponsorship target of £100,000.


Not to be outdone, Clifford Chance associate Kirsty Devonport is running the 'world's coolest marathon' in March. It seems the normal 26-mile trek is not enough of a challenge, so she'll be donning snowshoes and arctic clothing for a full-length circular marathon at the North Pole in temperatures of -60ºF. She aims to raise £10,000 for Leukaemia Research.



Obiter might be tempted to think these loony lawyers are the exception in a normally grounded profession - but suspects that may not be the case. If there are any others out there limbering up for the London marathon, we propose an Obiter challenge. Send us your timings and we will give a special round of Obiter praise to the country's fastest lawyer. But if anyone expects to see someone from Obiter Towers stretching their limbs at Greenwich Park - now that really is crazy talk.