A BOY was so disappointed he was not allowed to run the women's only Race for Life last year that he has started his own charity event for men.

Ten-year-old Ethan Muller will launch the first Ethan's 10k Male Only Charity Cycle Challenge event on Saturday, May 10, to raise cash for Help for Heroes.

The Martley Primary School child was not allowed to enter the Cancer Research UK yearly event at Worcester Racecourse with his mum and sister but felt he wanted to help in a way.

He said: "The challenge is only for boys because girls can only do Race for Life and I really wanted to do it."

Race for Life rules state that although it is a women's-only event, boys over the age of six can enter with an adult but they also state that the challenge organisers reserve the right to ask male participants to withdraw their entries.

Having only started cycling two years ago, Ethan, of Wichenford, near Worcester, will lead the other charity cyclists from the starting line at Cob House Fisheries, also in Wichenford, on Saturday (May 10), at 10am for nine loops of the 1.7k site.

For this ride, which he is hoping will become an annual occurrence, Ethan chose to support Help for Heroes.

"I am really interested in armies and history is my best subject at school," he said.

His mum, Tina Muller, said her son was desperate to do an event after being refused onto Race for Life.

She said: "I am proud of the fact that he decided that it was unfair to do Race for Life for only girls. He was desperate to do it and kept asking me if we can do something for only boys, and he came up with the idea himself and the charity.

"The facebook and the website and organising it takes a lot of his time up around the cycling and he enjoys the charity, so well done to a 10-year-old for doing that. And hopefully he'll do it every year."

So far Ethan has raised £85 in sponsorship for himself to do the cycle, and many men, school friends and strangers will be sponsored to do it for the same charity.

There is still time to sign up for the challenge which costs adults £10 to enter, or children aged between six and 15, £5.

For more information, or to register for Ethan's 10k Male Only Charity Cycle Challenge event, visit ethanscharitychallenge.org, or to sponsor Ethan, visit justgiving.com/Ethans-Charity-Challenge.