A PUB landlord is set to take on his 11th London Marathon.
Steve Leighfield, landlord of The Bell at Eckington, will run the 26.2-mile course in aid of Able Child Africa.
Mr Leighfield, 49, came across the charity after completing a marathon in Africa last year.
“Me and my son went to Africa last year to do a run,” he explained.
“We were in Kampala Uganda running a marathon to raise money for a primary school out there.
“I was speaking with one of the teachers who was telling me that there just isn’t the resources for disabled children at the school.”
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Mr Leighfield runs The Bell alongside his wife Kerry and has done so for the last 17 years.
He first got into running around his 40th birthday, when he decided to set himself a challenge.
“I thought I would do something a bit different and so I signed up for the London Marathon.
“Since then I’ve run maybe 50 marathons.
“I’d like to say I’ve gone from strength to strength, but probably got slower and slower.”
Reflecting on his experiences, Mr Leighfield added: “Uganda was probably one of the best races I’ve done but the London Marathon is my favourite.
“I have also done Snowdon which was a bit difficult to say the least.”
In 2020, Mr Leighfield didn't let the pandemic stop him from running.
He decided to run a marathon in his garden to raise money for Mind, receiving hundreds of pounds in donation.
In the end, he completed 262 laps of his garden, equivalent to 26.2 miles, in a time of four hours and 26 minutes.
READ MORE: Pub landlord runs garden marathon in four and a half hours for charity
This year, he is hoping to raise around two or three thousand pounds for Able Child Africa.
The charity has been operating in Uganda since 1984, working with local partners to support children with disabilities and their families.
So far, Mr Leighfield has raised £1,910.
Visit his fundraising page here
Looking ahead to the marathon, he has not played up his expectations.
“This year my target is just to get around in one piece,” Mr Leighfield said.
“I don’t worry too much about the run time, for me it is just about having a good time.”
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