A BASINGSTOKE man is set to pound the streets of London with the slogan 'This one’s for you dad' written on his T-shirt.

Alex Price will be taking part in the London Marathon on Sunday, 28 April, taking on the challenge in memory of his dad who died of bowel cancer.

The 30-year-old’s father, John, died at the age of 51, and now Alex wants to raise money in his memory.

He said: “It’s always a numbing experience when someone you love is told they have cancer.

“After a bout of radiotherapy and an operation to remove his bowel, dad finally went into remission in 2010. Wow – we were all very happy.”

John surprised everyone by running the London Marathon in 2011 to celebrate his recovery and he even ran past St Thomas’s Hospital where he had spent much of the previous two years.

Alex added: “Dad passed away seven months after running the marathon – that’s the harsh reality of what this disease can do.

Now father-of-two Alex has decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and take on the 26.2 mile run.

He said: “I have total admiration for my dad. When he was ill, there weren’t any complaints. His outlook was always positive, even when the rest of us couldn’t see the light.”

“I like to think that dad would be immensely proud. He’d say don’t put too much pressure on yourself and enjoy it. So that’s what I intend to do.”

Alex only took up running two years ago and was inspired by seeing his dad’s marathon effort eight years ago to take on the challenge himself.

He will be raising money for Bowel & Cancer Research.

Chief executive of Bowel & Cancer Research Deborah Gilbert said: “Bowel cancer really is a terrible disease. Our mission is to ensure that no one should die of bowel cancer in future and we can only achieve that with the support of our fantastic fundraisers.

To support Alex in his fundraising efforts, go to justgiving.com/fundraising/priceball.