A CANCER fundraiser who died from the disease has inspired a Winchester man to embark on a mammoth 50 mile run across Hampshire.
Chris Westwood, of Loyd Lindsay Square, Weeke, is one of six people - five of whom are employees of IBM in Hursley - who will jog from the source of the River Itchen at Cheriton to the Lamb Inn pub at Nomansland, on the Hampshire and Wiltshire border, via Winchester and Salisbury.
The six participants hope the run, next Saturday (May 17), which was the brainchild of Mr Westwood's work colleague Neil Simpson, will raise more than £5,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support.
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Mr Simpson was inspired to think up the challenge by 62-year-old Southampton grandmother Dee Mason, who raised thousands of pounds for cancer charities before succumbing to the disease in March 2006, after a nine-year battle.
Mr Westwood said that most of the group, comprising Neil Simpson, Alasdair Hunter, Sharon Singer, Kirsty Singer and Mat Comer, had run marathons before.
The 32-year-old added: "I ran my first last year in Dublin and vowed never to do another, but this time we've decided to run 50 miles!"
"The big highlights will be Winchester and Salisbury, hopefully there will be lots of support there and the more we can get the better it will be for us.
"We're not doing it as a race - we're starting together and finishing together. We'll need each other's support!"
He added the group hoped to complete the challenge in 10 hours.
To sponsor them visit www.justgiving.com/cheriton50.
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