A Basingstoke man will join the army of costume-clad runners in this year’s London Marathon.
Peter Mahoney, from Oakridge, will run the race dressed as Little Miss Sunshine in a bid to raise cash for charity.
The 41-year-old nPower sales manager will don the 6.5kg Mr Men costume to try and raise £5,000 for Children With Leukaemia.
He was inspired to take up the challenge after his grandnephew, who lives in Scotland, battled through the disease in 2009.
And with 10 days to go until the big day, Peter is ramping up his training and fundraising efforts to get closer to his cash target.
On April 2, Peter and brother Andy, who is running the race with him, were out and about in Basingstoke appealing to kind-hearted residents.
The pair drummed up £1,100 in donations, and Peter said: "When I’m out training in my costume you can imagine the comments, people are beeping their horns and shouting out. But already people have stopped me and pushed money in my hands to go towards helping the charity.
"It hurts doing a marathon and there is a lot of expectation. But when you get a lady giving you a fiver and you know that's going to the children then it makes it all worth it."
At 6ft 5ins and 120kg, he admits the weight of the costume will add to the challenge.
In the wet his attire doubles in weight, so Peter said he is praying for a dry day on April 17.
He said: "I am not a small bloke and I am definitely not a runner. This is not a running body, so it is hard for me but I will get round and do it, however long it takes.
"When I first started running I could not run 400 metres. That was two years ago. That itself speaks volumes, you can't get to this stage without trying.
"But ultimately there is only one focus and that is to get the money so I can give it over to the charity and they can help these kids.
"My grandnephew was one of the lucky ones, but there are others that are not, so it's important to help as much as you can."
His bosses at nPower have promised to match sponsorship money donated from company employees.
Children With Leukaemia is a UK-wide charity, which for 22 years have provided support for affected families and funds research into the disease.
To support Peter, visit www.virginmoneygiving.com/petermahoney
