A TAVISTOCK-based runner will be taking up one of the toughest sporting challenges when he joins the field for the Flora London Marathon on Sunday, April 14.
John Dwyer, who is currently training to be a geography teacher at Tavistock College, will be running the tough 26.2-mile course in aid of Cancer Research UK.
The 25-year-old is aiming to raise £2,000 for the charity's pioneering research into the prevention, treatment and cure of all forms of cancer.
John said: 'This is my first full marathon, so it is a chance to get really fit. I wanted to run for a cancer charity as we have a close family friend who is currently facing a tough battle against the disease.
'One in three people in the UK will develop cancer at some point in their lives so it is a really worthwhile cause.'
John's training regime has begun with short one-hour runs three or four times a week and will build in intensity in the run-up to the event.
He will be lining up with 30,000 other runners on the start line as part of the biggest charity team ever to run the world's greatest marathon.
Jo Symington, senior national event manager for the charity, said: 'It is great to have John on our marathon team. We rely overwhelmingly on the efforts of dedicated supporters and only with their help can we continue to find new answers to cancer'.
Anyone who would like to sponsor John to complete his running challenge, please write to John Dwyer, the Woodshed, Mount Tavy Cottage, Tavistock, Devon, PL19 9JL.