Hope this helps ...

Got a favour to ask.

A good friend, Clifford Martin, and his father-in-law, Mikhail Gorbounov, are each entered in the half-marathon event (21 km) during the annual Army Run in Ottawa on Sunday.

It's a little late in the game, but Cliff has an idea. His sister, Tanya Martin, is having a is having a corneal transplant but the cost of artificial cornea, some $3,000 isn't covered by OHIP, so the pair have decided to make it a fundraiser. For $5 apiece, you can guess either Cliff or Mikhail's time on Sunday. The winner will get half the pot and the other half will go toward Tanya's procedure.

Mikhail, a competitive athlete, completed a 10-km event in about 45 minutes earlier this year. Cliff averages 50-55 minutes for 10 km, so there is a gauge.

To make a pledge and place a bet, drop a line to cliff_martin@hotmail.com. Cliff may explain whether it's $5 to bet on one runner's time, or $10 to bet on both.