Former soldier Gordon Sustins will run the London Marathon in full Army gear

Jan 6 2011 by Andrew McGilvray, Hamilton Advertiser

A FORMER soldier aims to raise thousands of pounds for an armed forces charity by running the 2011 Virgin London Marathon.

Gordon Sustins (36) from Hamilton hopes to raise over £5000 for Help for Heroes.

And Lincoln-born Gordon, who served with the Royal Signals for 11 years, will undertake the gruelling endurance test on April 17 while wearing full Army gear.

Gordon, who now works for Bellshill-based telecom company Wireless Infrastructure Group, said: “Help for Heroes is a cause that is close to my heart. I’ve known plenty of people over the years who have been badly injured.

“Help for Heroes is huge and is a massive help for people to get back on their feet and be as independent and lead as normal a life as possible after being injured.

“I’m just trying to do my bit to help the wonderful servicemen and women injured whilst on duty.

“This is obviously a very personal matter for me, so I really am looking to raise as much as possible.”

Gordon added: “I’ve run the marathon in the past and a few years ago I did it to raise funds for the British Legion but it’s quite difficult to get a place so I haven’t done it for a couple of years.

“To hopefully raise more money I will be running the marathon in boots, combats and carrying a 30lb back pack, known as a bergen.

“I was looking for more of a challenge than the usual fundraiser and this is the second time in about four years that I’ve run the London marathon.

“I want to raise as much as possible; I have a figure of £5000 in my head but more than that would be great.”

Gordon’s training regime started in November but the harsh winter weather has hampered him. He said: “Training for something like this usually starts six months before the marathon and very gradually at first.

“It’s a case of training three-times-a-week; twice during the week for shorter distances and then a longer run on Saturday or Sunday to build up your stamina closer to the marathon.

“But the winter weather put that on hold somewhat, so I’m slightly behind where I would like to be.”

People who would like to help Gordon in his fundraising can make a donation at: www.bmycharity.com/V2/GordonH4H