AN ALRESFORD man took a step towards a brain tumour cure at the Great South Run in memory of his best friend.

Dan Walker, a business manager for Clevertouch Marketing, ran the ten-mile route along Southsea Seafront in aid of the Darel Bryan Foundation.

His friend Darel Bryan was a fit and healthy 33-year-old when he was diagnosed with several brain tumours. He died just over a year later.

Dan previously ran the Hackney half marathon and the London Marathon in 2018 for the Darel Bryan Foundation and Brain Tumour Research. He completed the Great South Run in one hours, 32 minutes and 48 seconds.

He said: "Darel was one of the loveliest people you could ever meet.

"He and I were great buddies, both with a great love of football, and we used to regularly go out in a foursome with his partner Natalie Overs and my girlfriend at the time, who was also Natalie’s best friend.

“It was devastating for all of us when we heard that Darel had an aggressive brain tumour, that surgery wasn’t an option and he was going to undergo radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Despite all the treatment, nothing could stop the progression of the disease and Darel ran out of options."

Dan's fundraising now stands at more than £400 – doubling his initial target of £200.

He added: "After the London Marathon in 2018, I said never again, but here I am. It was my 34th birthday the day before, so this was the one birthday when I didn't have a hangover.

"I enjoyed every single mile of it, although my legs do feel a bit achey today."

Brain tumours kill more people under 40 than any other cancer, but around one per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to a cure.

Donations can still be made on Dan's JustGiving page: www.justgiving.com/Daniel-Walker37.