When Chris Gold crosses the line at the London Marathon in April, it will be the first time he will have raced the 26.2-mile distance.
The 48-year-old from Stamford has been training with experienced runner and Stamford town tour guide Jim Grant, who is also his neighbour.
The training is paying off.
Chris has set his sights on completing the distance in three hours and 10 minutes, which means completing every mile in seven-and-a-quarter minutes.
“If I manage three hours 30 I’ll be happy,” he said.
“If I manage three hours 20 I’ll be very happy.
“And if I manage three hours 10 I’ll be ‘good for age’ and should qualify to take part in the Boston Marathon next year.”
The Boston Marathon is the world’s oldest annual marathon and is so popular people can only enter it if they achieve a qualifying time.
Chris, who took up running just over a year ago, said: “I always aim high, which is why I want to raise £5,000 for the British Heart Foundation, rather than the £2,500 the charity requests as fundraising for the place.”
His father, Keith, had a long history of heart problems, needing a triple bypass when Chris was 11. He needed a further bypass 16 years later, which again helped to extend his life, and his dying wish, in 2014, was that people support the charity.
To raise money, Chris is holding a quiz at The Theatre Lounge bar under Stamford Corn Exchange in Broad Street.
The quiz takes place from 7pm on Saturday, March 9, with teams of four to six people at £10 per person. People coming along are encouraged to wear something red to match the British Heart Foundation’s charity colour.
Chris is also holding a raffle at the running gear shop Bog Dog, at Gwash Way in Ryhall Road, Stamford, which will be open until March 8. People can buy tickets for £5 a strip to be in with a chance of winning sports goodies.