A LOCAL detective will show his charitable side with a marathon effort for Crimestoppers tomorrow (April 22).

Devon and Cornwall Police detective inspector Richard Nettleship, 49, based at Launceston Police Station will be running the 26.2 miles of concrete jungle to tackle his first ever London Marathon.

Richard had a ‘running epiphany’ back in 2016 after admitting looking after himself had been put ‘on the backburner’, which resulted in attempting the Couch to 5K at Tavistock Athletic Club.

‘It was the best thing I have ever done,’ he said.

‘I just built it up over time. I started with the 5km then did some 10kms and followed that with my first half marathon last year. ‘

Despite the ‘disbelief’ of his family that he was participating, the detective inspector is aiming to complete the event in around four hours 30 minutes but he admits the training has been tough.

’It’s just the early starts in the morning at weekends,’ he said. ‘We head out on Sunday at 7am and not being back until lunchtime. There have been things I couldn’t do with the family over the past few months but I couldn’t ask for more support and kindness from my wife and children. It means something to me and the charity. I am also very lucky to have a fantastic circle of friends from Tavistock Athletic Club.’

Richard is already thinking of the next challenge after the marathon: ‘I am already thinking about the next running challenge, perhaps something abroad, or try trail running. I’ll have a couple of weeks off first though!’

Crimestoppers is an independent charity that gives people the chance to speak up and stop crime 100% anonymously.

To support Richard on his fundraising page visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/RichardNettleship