Wick dad braced for marathon debut

Ben Algar, pictured, has been training for his marathon by running along the coast

Ben Algar, of Clun Road, has signed up to take on the Brighton Marathon and aims to raise £800 for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

However, the 32-year-old still has a sizeable mountain to overcome before he can complete the epic 26.2-mile route.

So far he can just about manage a 16-mile run before exhaustion hits. And with just weeks left until the marathon, on April 12, he has his work cut out for him.

“It is scary,” he said. “I would say that I am quite concerned.

“I am not going for a specific time, I’m just aiming to finish it. But it’s certainly pretty daunting.”

This is Ben’s first marathon.

However, he had been dreaming of taking on the fundraising feat for the past couple of years.

The father-of-two plucked up the courage to sign-up for the event just before Christmas.

Since then, he has been running along the coastline around Littlehampton at night – whatever the weather – to boost his stamina.

So far he has raised £400 for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

He said: “I wanted to do something that was big and that was a challenge.

“In training I had to stop after 15 miles. I could really feel my knees going.

“So in that sense I’m now quite concerned as I only have a few weeks left to train.

“The realisation that I have to run an extra ten miles or so after that is a bit scary.”

Ben was inspired to support the Cystic Fibrosis Trust after hearing about some of the experiences families and young children, diagnosed with the condition, go through.

“The birth of a child should be a happy time but this can be tinged with sadness when they are diagnosed with CF because ultimately there’s no cure for it,” he said.

Cystic Fibrosis affects one in every 2,000 babies born in the UK and is a lifelong condition that affects multiple organs, in particular the lungs which can become clogged with thick mucus.

One in 25 adults in the UK carries the faulty gene; if two adults carrying the fault have a child there is a one-in-four chance of them having condition.

Those wishing to sponsor Ben should visit www.justgiving.com/Running-4-Ruby/

He added: “I just want to do want I can to help raise money for charity.”