A MARATHON veteran will push his body to the limit when he tries to run 145 miles in fewer than 30 hours.

Ted McLachlan, 53, will follow the Grand Union Canal route between Birmingham and London to raise cash for transport service, Dial-a-Ride.

He will set off at 6am on Saturday from Gas Street Basin and hopes to arrive at the Little Venice Toll Office in the capital by noon on Sunday.

The event will see him run through the night, only stopping along the way to eat and drink.

“This is crazy really,” said Mr McLachlan, who runs fitness classes at the New Elizabethan School in Hartlebury. “To get through something like this, you just have to totally focus and keep saying to yourself that you are enjoying it.”

About 90 people are taking part in the Grand Union Canal Race, which is now in its 16th year.

Having entered more than 50 marathons over the past 30 years and completed the 80-mile South Downs Way in 14 hours, Mr McLachlan is looking forward to his next challenge.

He said: “It starts to hurt when you get to 20 miles and then again after 50 miles. It will be interesting to see what happens when I get past 100.

“Running marathons can get boring so I wanted to give myself a new goal to aim for.”

Mr McLachlan, of Franche, Kidderminster, explained that overcoming a speech impediment had given him confidence.

“Because I have a stammer, it was such a big achievement for me to start taking exercise classes,” he added, “This run will be nothing after overcoming that.”

As his elderly mother uses the Dial-a-Ride service, which provides transport for people who would struggle to get about, he felt it was a “great local cause” to support.

“I’ve been joking that I might need their help myself after this run,” he added. “They really need drivers too so, hopefully, me doing this will get them some publicity.”

To sponsor Mr McLachlan, email wyreforest@dial-a-ride86.freeserve.co.uk- or call 07816 594281.