A Barnsley marathon runner is giving himself an equine challenge for his next race.

Steve Andrews, 42, will be taking on the mammoth task of Man versus Horse marathon and will be racing on foot against horse and rider, on June 8, to raise money for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance charity.

The annual Man versus Horse Marathon is held in Llanwrtyd Wells in Wales. More than 500 runners and up to 50 horses compete over a 22-mile course in mountainous terrain.

The race starts in the town centre and goes through hilly farm tracks, footpaths, forestry roads and open moorlands.

Now in its 34th year, Steve is hoping to become only the third person to achieve the feat of beating the horses.

Horses remained unbeaten by the runners until 2004 when runner Huw Lobb achieved a time of two hours, five minutes and 19 seconds, beating the nearest horse by more than two minutes.

Steve said: "I'll be racing up against the horses but they have to have proper check-ups by a vet every ten miles so it makes it a little easier for the racers."

Steve, of Springfield Street, Barnsley, is hoping to raise at least £2,000.

He said: "I do quite a bit of charity work. I've raised lots of money racing about on my bike in Cuba and Peru."

He has been training rigorously in the build-up to the event and participated in the Rome marathon in March.