South Shields runner Peter Rooney takes on Bob Graham Round in the Lake District to raise funds for friend fighting cancer, aiming to complete 66-mile, 42-peak route in 24 hours

Peter Rooney, 60, is taking on the grueling Bob Graham Round in the Lake District this weekend.

The run covers 42 peaks in 66 miles, and must be completed in 24 hours, starting and finishing at the Moot Hall in Keswick.

Peter sets off at 6pm on Friday, June 24, and must complete the route by 6pm on Saturday, June 25.

Sally, his wife, said: “He is doing it support of funding towards alternative treatment options for a good friend who has bowel and liver cancer and is coming to the end of her NHS treatment options.

“Peter attempted this three years ago but stopped at 55 miles.

"His desire and determination to complete this challenge has never faulted and he has trained with pain and passion through the last six months.

"He has a fantastic team of fell running friends who are supporting him at each leg of the way and without who he could not have attempted it.”

The Bob Graham Round was first completed by its namesake founder – a Keswick hotelier – in 1932, and has stood as a test of endurance, navigation and planning for the world’s fittest runners ever since.

The website of the Bob Graham 24-hour Club, whose members have all completed the route, reads: “Each summer around 100 of the most highly tuned ultra-distance fell runners will attempt the 27,000 ft of ascent within the allotted 24 hours.

"Only one in three will return to the Keswick Moot Hall before the clock runs down.”