A FITNESS fanatic is soon to take on his 10th and final marathon in aid of a Sherfield-on-Loddon church.

Ben Eason will take part in the Virgin London Marathon for the eighth time this April to raise money for the St Leonards Church extension, and he plans to hang up his running shoes when he completes the race.

Ben, from Eling Crescent, in Sherfield Park, hopes to raise between £1,000 and £1,500 for the ongoing project to provide toilets and a kitchen in the church.

The father-of-three last year completed a three marathon challenge with his brother Adam, as reported in The Gazette, successfully running the Brighton, London and Milton Keynes marathons, raising £6,000 for the National Blind Children’s Society.

Ben, 36, said: “I’ve promised my wife Louisa this will be my last marathon and that’s the plan.

“I have said that before though so we’ll see! I always seem to end up going back. It’s nice to be able to raise money for charity but I also enjoy the running.

“I have always raised money for national charities before but this year I have my own place in the marathon and decided it would be best to concentrate on a local cause.”

Barclays, where Ben works as director of FICC operations, has agreed to gift-match the first £750 he raises.

He is now trying to fit in training around a busy family life, after he and Louisa recently had their third child, and is juggling 14-mile practice runs with helping to care for a newborn, and ferry his other two children, aged six and four, around.

He said: “I don’t let it interfere with normal family life which unfortunately means getting up earlier and earlier as the practice runs get longer.”

To donate to Ben, you can visit https://my.give.net/BensStLeonards Run2013.