ONE man will carry an extra burden when he takes part in the Great North Run on Sunday.

Sam Scully, 28, from Cockermouth, will don a 20kg vest which weighs more than a quarter of his 74kg frame.

He is running for Eden Valley Hospice and Jigsaw in memory of his nephew, Daniel Toman, who died at the age of just 16 in 2018.

Daniel had a very severe form of epilepsy stemming from West Syndrome, resulting in cerebral palsy, profoundly limiting what he was able to do.

Eden Valley was a place for Daniel and his mum, Rebecca Cuthbertson, to gain some respite.

“I have done the Great North Run before but this time I wanted to do it for Eden Valley Hospice because of what it meant to my sister and my nephew – and I decied I wanted to make it more of a challenge.”

Daniel, who works for Coca-Cola GB in Cockermouth, said he hoped that, by making it harder, he might attract more sponsorship.

“I am hoping to raise £1,000. I have already got £850 and I haven’t even been around my workmates yet!” he said.

He is hoping to complete the half marathon in around two hours – and it could be that his lack of organisation will stand him in good stead.

“Last week I set out to run 10 miles with the vest on but ran 12.5 miles by mistake. I wasn’t organised enough to stop at 10!”

He said he was pretty tired but believes if he has enough energy gel he will make it around the course even if he has to walk some of the way.

To sponsor this heavyweight runner go to:  https://greatnorthrun2023.enthuse.com/pf/sam-scully