44-year-old Tim Richardson will take his place on the start line of the Great North Run after cycling somewhere in the region of 2,790km from Spain to the north-east of England on his own.

His efforts have already raised thousands of pounds for Jane's Appeal, the charity set up by the late Jane Tomlinson to raise money for children's and cancer charities.

Tim said: "I have been meaning to do something severe for some time.
"I had followed Jane Tomlinson's story for quite some time. I just thought she did such a wonderful job in the face of adversity. That's what drives me.

"You can sit back and do nothing or get up and do something about it."
Tim has already completed the Great North Run on five occasions for other charities, and this year he is hoping to raise between £15,000 and £20,000 for Jane's Appeal.

Tim, who served in the Royal Navy between 1981 and 1991, has also completed a number of triathlons in the past and one day hopes to take part in the Race Across America (Raam) bike race.

The former resident of Llansanffraid – who moved to Spain with his family four-and-a-half years ago – set off from Gibraltar on September 18 and hopes to be in Newcastle by October 2, a few days before the Great North Run.

Just before he left, Tim watched the television series The Man Who Cycled the World about Mark Beaumont, who achieved the world record for cycling around the globe in early 2008.

Tim said: "It was almost as if it was sent for me. It was a real eye opener.

"He did an amazing job and it puts it in perspective. That's what really helped me along. I feel as if I am travelling with someone else."

Irene, his wife, will be flying over to meet him when he arrives in Newcastle. His aim is to complete the Great North Run in about 1hr 30mins.

He said: "It will be the sublime to the ridiculous. I am doing this completely on my own to doing the run with 47,000 or so people.
"It's great. Everyone likes to be there and it's a great community spirit. I have run lots of other races but the Great North Run is still the best."

He has already beaten his original target of raising £5,000 and said he had received a great deal of support.

Visit Tim's fundraising page at www.justgiving.com/timrichardson64