A BARNSLEY man is gearing up for the race of his life in honour of his daughter who suffers from a rare illness.

Chris Nunn has secured a place in the 2027 London Marathon to support a cause close to his family’s heart.

Chris’ daughter Daisy, who is now seven, was diagnosed at birth with homocystinuria (HCU) - a rare inherited metabolic disorder that requires lifelong treatment, careful monitoring and daily medication.

Chris has set out to run in support of Metabolic Support UK, which makes a real difference for families affected by rare conditions.

This isn’t the first time that Chris has run in Daisy’s name - in February the 47-year-old dad challenged himself to give back to Sheffield Children’s Hospital by completing their running challenge the ‘Theo 50 for 50’.

This involved completing 50 miles in 28 days, something that Chris admitted was challenging as a non-runner.

From then on, Chris caught the running bug and decided to take on the London Marathon.

Chris has thrown himself into his training, running five kilometres and ten kilometres multiple times a week to build his fitness.

Chris said: “Over the past year I’ve completely changed my lifestyle, losing weight and building up my fitness so I can take on the biggest challenge of my life.

“Just a short while ago, I never imagined I’d be able to run a marathon.

“Through determination, hard work and overcoming injuries, I’m now taking on 26.2 miles.

“This is to give something back to a charity that supports families like ours every single day.

“I have started training early to give myself the best chance.

“Due to it being for charity I have to raise £2,000.

“I’m trying to put myself out there and find friends and family as well as the local community to help raise the funds needed.

“Every donation - no matter how big or small - will help Metabolic Support UK continue supporting people living with rare metabolic disorders and funding research into better treatments.”