Rusper dad completes marathon feat for son

Last month Andrew Turner, 53, completed the challenge in the Japanese capital in two hours, 56 minutes.

Having already run five of the top six international courses - London, New York, Chicago, Berlin and Boston - he qualifies for a place in the Six Star Marathon Majors Hall of Fame.

He was running in aid of Chestnut Tree House, which provides specialist palliative care to children and young adults in Sussex with progressive life-limiting and life-threatening illnesses.

In 2011 Andrew’s 12-year-old son Michael was diagnosed with a life limiting condition, which has had a profound impact on the family.

Andrew said: “The helplessness you initially feel towards such a stark diagnosis has to be balanced by a recognition of the importance of making the most of the time you have together.

“Then there’s the practical reality of ensuring that the complex arrangement of specialist services that Michael needs to maintain his quality of life are all in place and this can be very challenging to deliver. Running is my best coping method and I’ve always used my racing events to raise money for good causes, but this time the fundraising for Tokyo has had a much greater poignancy.

“Michael will never be able to run a marathon, but the knowledge that every mile that I run can make a difference to children like him is a very powerful and emotional incentive.”

Andrew ran his first marathon in London in 1993 and has now completed the distance on 18 occasions raising more than £50,000 for charity.

He is on track to reach his £5,000 target for his latest feat in Tokyo. To support him go to www.justgiving.com/an drewrunstokyo and to find out more about Chestnut Tree House go to www.chestnut-tree-house.org.uk/run