A HORSELL couple are running the Venice Marathon to raise money for Woking StrokeAbility.

Alex and Jane Ford are members of Horsell Runners and between them they have  completed marathons in London, Paris, New York and Berlin.

Their sponsorship money will be divided equally between the Woking charity, of which Alex’s father Campbell is the chairman, and the Special Olympics, which arranges sporting events in Britain for those with intellectual problems.

The marathon in the Italian city will take place on Sunday 27 October.

Alex said that the first 20 miles will be on the mainland with a crossing over a bridge to the island of Venice with the finish just past St Mark’s Square.

“There will be temporary ramps over the bridges and a temporary footbridge over the Grand Canal,” he said.

Jane said that their preparations were going well with runs of 20 miles at weekends as well as joining the Horsell Runners.

“We go for runs of 10 miles on our own and then join our friends with the group on their run,” she said.

They hope to raise a total of £2,000 while also hoping to complete the marathon together in under four hours.

The money the couple raise will help the Woking charity which provides aerobic and aqua exercise for stroke survivors regardless of gender, faith, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, and economic status, and also for those with similar disabilities.

Visit https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Team/HorsellFordsVeniceMarathonOct2019 if you would like to donate.

For the full story get tomorrow's (24 October) edition of the News & Mail