A personal trainer running eight marathons in eight weeks is raising money for his friends who live with a muscle wasting condition.
Tom Penzer Adams will stop off in Brighton this weekend as part of his marathon challenge.
The 36-year-old runner's fundraising story started when he met his friend Jonny Evans at secondary school in Lichfield, near Birmingham.
Jonny's older brothers Gary, 43, and Paul, 41, both have muscular dystrophy and every year the family organise a charity golf day to raise funds.
"I'm rubbish at golf and didn't feel I could get involved, said Tom. "So I came up with the idea of a multiple marathon running challenge to show my support for Gary and Paul.
"Looking back, it probably would have been a lot easier to have a couple of golf lessons and give everybody the satisfaction of watching me swing a golf club."
Read more: The stories behind runners taking part in Brighton Marathon
Tom crossed the start line in Tokyo on Sunday, March 3, completing the course in just under two hours and marking the first of his eight marathons in as many weeks.
He has since completed events in Cambridge, Wales, Skegness and at home in Lichfield ahead of the Brighton Marathon on Sunday.
He said: "Of course, it will be hard, but I just keep reminding myself why I’m doing it. I take a lot of inspiration from Gary and Paul and am doing this for them and the rest of their family.”
In total, Tom will run 209 miles, finishing with the London Marathon on Sunday, April 21, after a trip across the Atlantic to run in Boston.
Gary, Paul and Jonny’s mum Christine Evans said: “I just can’t get over Tom’s incredible challenge and we’re so grateful for the effort he’s putting in – not just the running itself but the organisation behind it all.”
Neither Gary nor Paul have received an official diagnosis, but their condition presents like Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy, which wastes muscles in the arms and legs, so the money raised will go to Muscular Dystrophy UK for research into the condition.
“We were always such a sporty family,” said Christine. “The boys all played rugby and we used to go on family skiing holidays together.
"It’s heartbreaking watching your children slowly lose the ability to do things they love. But we try to focus on things we have to look forward to, like Gary getting married in May, which will be a special day."
Phil Heighway, regional development manager at Muscular Dystrophy UK, said: “This is certainly a unique challenge and we’re so grateful to Tom for his fundraising efforts.
"The fact that he is taking on the challenge in support of his friends Gary and Paul is inspirational and it’s great to see his local community get behind him.
"Thanks to fundraising like this, we can continue to improve understanding of muscular dystrophy, provide advice and support to those who need it, and help accelerate new treatments."
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