East Preston man’s ‘marathon’ weight loss journey

But now for an East Preston man, the quest to get out of the driving seat, slip into his running shoes and finish a marathon is proving well on track.

Mike Sadler, of Downs Way, has been a driving instructor for the past five years and has noticed his weight balloon as a result of his job.

So, last year he set himself the challenge of getting into shape and completing the Berlin Marathon – which is now just weeks away.

The father-of-two said: “I love my job but all you do is sit down. I put on three-and-a-half stone.

“I just wanted to find something to counteract the effects of sitting on my bum most of the day, so running seemed like a good idea – it’s something that would push me.”

In October, last year, 40-year-old Mike completed the 10-mile Bupa Great South Run, in Portsmouth.

He also tackled the gruelling 10k cross-country Angmering Bluebell race, earlier this year.

But the highlight of his training so far came last month, when he took part in the Olympic anniversary run, in London.

As part of the five-mile course through the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Mike – alongside thousands of other runners from across the country – was lucky enough to complete the final 300 yards of the course by running around part of the Olympic stadium’s track.

It was the first time the park had been open to a public event since the 2012 Olympics.

“That was an incredible experience,” admitted Mike. “I never thought that I would be able to do that.

“The one thing that did cross my mind, though, was that I must have been one of the slowest people to have ever run around that course!”

Mike is now in the final stages of training for his Berlin Marathon attempt, on Sunday, September 29.

As well as completing the course, Mike has set himself the ambitious challenge of raising £1,000 for the charity Children with Cancer UK.

To sponsor him, see here.