A NAVY diver will be taking to the dry land later this month to run the London Marathon.
Roy Knight from Crapstone works at Plymouth Naval Base, where his duties include helping to raise sunken aircraft and ships from all over the world — but he is still able to find time to train for the 26-mile road race, and hopes to raise £1,000 for Arthritis South West.
It has been ten years since Roy, 48, last ran a marathon, but he reckons he's in better shape now than he was then and is aiming to improve on his personal best of 3 hrs, 38 mins and 26 secs.
'I've been running on and off since 1975,' he said. 'But I started training for this in January and I'm up to 40 miles a week including the 20-mile run at the weekend — you never do the big one until the day. I'm a little bit fitter than I was the last time and looking forward to the big day.'
However, training has been severely affected by the foot and mouth crisis on Dartmoor and Roy has been confined to road running between his home and Plymouth.
Roy said the event was a lot less arduous than people might imagine as runners were buoyed up by the huge crowds.
'It's such an excellent, enjoyable day out, you forget you're running a marathon,' he said. 'Until about 20 miles when the old muscles start to hurt.'
This year's marathon, on April 22, coincides with Arthritis Care Awareness Week, April 21 to April 29. All the money raised through Roy's efforts will stay within the South West.
Also running in the London Marathon is Tavistock man Peter Bazley who aims to raise money for Operation Sunshine — SOS Africa.
The local group of this Christian charity last year sent two 20ft ships' containers of supplies to Africa, one to the victims of the flooding in Madagascar and the second to Zambia with clothing, household goods, medical equipment and other vital items for a leper colony, a hospice and for nurseries for abandoned babies in Lusaka.
If you would like to help Operation Sunshine by sponsoring Peter then contact Felicity Derry-Thomas (01822 614146) or Mary Barnaby (613720).