A RUNNER is combining his training for next year’s London Marathon with a cause close to his heart as he bids to raise £2,000 to support a colleague and close friend.

David Stevenson, a detective constable for GMP at Stretford, has set himself the target of running an average of five miles a day throughout October as he prepares for the big race in the capital in April.

All of his efforts are part of a bid to help friend John Parker, who was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis two years ago, raise money for research into the incurable condition which affects your brain and spinal cord.

Since suffering a severe relapse in 2016, John has set out to raise £8,000 for the MS Society – and friend David hopes to boost donations into five figures with a fundraiser of his own.

Ex-RAF man David, 47, said: “A friend of mine and colleague was diagnosed with MS a couple of years ago. He has been raising Monday for the past 12 months and is aiming to walk across the country little by little.

“He has raised £6,500 and is aiming for £8,000, so I said ‘let’s get to £10,000 and I will try to raise the additional £2,000’.

“I have done two marathons before and quite a few half marathons. I only did my first full one last year in Chester, and then another at Snowdon this year.”

David’s mission to run throughout October is more than just part of his training, as he bids to prove that he is putting the work in ahead of the 26.2-mile London run.

“It’s a training opportunity and something a bit different – hopefully people will see I am really going for it,” he said.

“It’s something I have wanted to do for a while. It’s a Ron Hill challenge – he ran for something like 50 years every single day. A couple of years ago he set up Run October.

“There is no set distance but I have set myself the target of an average of five miles per day.”

This weekend saw David take on the 15km Lakeland Trail Helvellyn trail race, with the Montane Trail Grizedale half marathon lined up for February 4.

Click here to follow the fundraiser or donate