A NEWPORT man will push his body to the limit in September by running seven marathons in seven days, in aid of the Starlight Children’s Foundation.

Will Davies, 35, wanted to raise money for the charity after it helped his son Rhys Davies, seven, while he was in and out of hospital for five years suffering from eczema and eczema herpeticum – a rare but severe skin infection.

But instead of running just one marathon, Mr Davies has decided to go through the pain barrier a further six times in six days.

“These days everyone seems to have taken part in a marathon or half marathon,” he said. “So I thought if I want to raise money, I’ll have to go a bit further.

He said: “I’ve set myself a target of £5,000 but as I will be doing a few different fundraisers I am hoping to surpass that.

“I started training on January 1 and it’ll be a long road but I’m really looking forward to it. I was inspired to do it by witnessing first-hand the work the Starlight Foundation do.

“I’ve always wanted to raise money for it.”

As there is no seven day series of organised marathons in Britain, the first six marathons will be pre-determined routes, calculated by Google maps and verified by the GPS software Mr Davies will carry with him during the week.

For the final run, he will participate in the Loch Ness Marathon on Sunday, September 28.

His first 26.2 mile run will be from Carmarthen to Swansea. His second will be from Porthcawl to Cardiff and his third will see him run from Monmouth to Newport.

Lydney to Bristol, Gloucester to Worcester and Leeds to York will be the final three individual legs of his challenge before he competes with runners at the Loch Ness Marathon.

“I keep myself reasonably fit,” added Mr Davies. “But I think seven marathons in a week would be a challenge for all but elite runners, let along someone trying to juggle a full time job and two kids.”

“It will be tough but it’s a highly personal challenge and an excellent opportunity to raise lots of money for Starlight.”

To donate to Mr Davies’ cause, visit virginmoneygiving.com/MavisDavies