Nick Trueman from Heath Hayes in Cannock is busy pounding the pavements of the town in preparation to run the Virgin Money London Marathon in April.
This is the first time that Nick, 37, will take on a full marathon and is training hard to run in one of the UK’s most iconic races on Sunday 26 April, which will take in famous sights including Tower Bridge and Buckingham Palace, as well as crossing the Meridian Line in Greenwich.
PR Manager Nick, who works for the West Bromwich Building Society which has its head offices located on the High Street in West Bromwich, is using his marathon mission to raise vital funds for local charity, Beacon.
So far he has raised £175 in sponsorship from generous family, friends and work colleagues, and hopes to reach a target of £1,500 in support of the sight loss charity, which helps people who are visually impaired in the West Midlands live fuller and more independent lives.
Nick is no stranger to running and has completed several races, including the Birmingham Half Marathon in a respectable time of 1 hour 51 minutes last October.
Nick said: “I’ve always been inspired by people who have run a marathon, and in particular London, so I’m thrilled that I’ll be running in the world renowned event this year. It’s been on my bucket list for a while so it’s going to be exciting to see what happens on race day.
“I’ve been training hard since before Christmas and I’m following a strict training plan which means I run four times a week, and sometimes even on my lunch break. Running around beautiful Cannock Chase has helped keep me motivated and on-track.
“Running 26.2 miles will be a real challenge for me and I’m very proud that my marathon mission will be helping to raise awareness of Beacon and supporting its vital work.”
Jenni Fryer, Fundraising and Marketing Manager at Beacon said: ‘It is wonderful of Nick to take up this challenge to help raise vital funds for Beacon. Without the help of people like him we wouldn’t be able to continue to support people with sight loss across the Black Country and surrounding areas live independent lives’.
To sponsor Nick visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/NickTrueman