A man is training for his first marathon to raise money for a charity.

James Costen, 40, of Oakfield Court, Borehamwood, has never ran a marathon before and decided this year he would push himself to do the London Marathon on April 24.

Mr Costen is raising money for Jewish Deaf Association (JDA) which helps and supports children, adults and seniors with day to day problems.

The father-of-two said: “I turned 40 this year and I thought it was the time to do it.

“I don’t think my body is going to cope as much as I get older and the marathon has always been on my bucket list to do.

“It is really hard and tough. It’s a big difference to anything I have done before.

“At first it was difficult to get motivated and my knees were really sore and I had to go to a sports therapist.

“My children and wife are going to be there supporting me. Without their support I don’t think I would be able to do it

Mr Costen’s brother was born deaf and ran the London Marathon last year in 4 hours 20 minutes, now a brotherly rivalry has begun.

Mr Costen said: “I am trying to beat his time. I hope to do it in under 4 hours.

“I have been wanting to do it for years and I have cheered on a lot of people including my brother.

“I am relatively fit but never taken up a challenge like this before.”

During his training, Mr Costen developed the running bug and has said he will continue racing but only half marathons across the world in various locations.

With an aim to raise as much money as he can Mr Costen is hopeful that he will raise a considerable amount that will be donated to the charity.

To donate to Mr Costen's run visit here: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/jamescotsen