AFTER seeing a friend take part in the London Marathon, a Baughurst couple will take part in the event themselves to support their son.

Phil and Julie Loosen will take on the iconic 26.2-mile race to raise money for their charity Hope4Harrison.

The couple, from Wellington Crescent, set up the charity when their seven-year-old son Harrison was diagnosed with Becker muscular dystrophy in 2015, aged four.

Becker muscular dystrophy causes slow progressive muscle weakness of the legs and pelvis.

The charity was set up in 2015 to raise £5,000 per year for the following three years to help find a cure.

Having seen a colleague take part in the race last year for the charity, the pair decided to lead by example this time around and take on the challenge themselves.

“After Simon did the run last year, he was really excited about telling everyone in work,” Phil told The Gazette.

“We all got a little caught up in it and signed up to be in the ballot for this year’s event, thinking it would just be a bit of a pipe dream, but we got selected and now we are heavy in training.”

In preparation for the event, the pair have been trying to get out running at least three times a week.

To date the charity has raised more than £40,000 in a bid to find a cure for muscular dystrophy and help Harrison.

As well as hosting an annual football tournament, friends and family have been hosting a range of fundraising events since the charity launched.

But for Phil, he said each year he wants to do a challenge for himself to raise as much money as he can.

He added: “I have always been someone that tries to find solutions to problems, but in this situation it wasn’t something that I could do.

“All I could do was raise money in the hopes that one day we will find a cure.

“It is a way for me to keep positive on those darker days.”

To donate, go to justgiving.com/fundraising/hope4harrison-marathon.