Dad-of-three to take on epic 1,200 Land's End to John O'Groats trail for Charlie and Carter Foundation

Andy Robertson, who turns 40 on April 16, will mark the occasion by setting off on the 1,211 mile End to End Trail from Land’s End in Cornwall to John O'Groats in Scotland in aid of the Charlie and Carter Foundation.

The railway worker already has a number of ultra marathons under his belt but this will be his biggest challenge to date, as he attempts to complete 40 miles of challenging terrain every day for 31 days.

If successful, he believes he will be the fastest person to complete the off-road route.

“Every part of it will be a different challenge, but nothing will stop me from getting to the end, I’m 100 percent determined,” said the 39-year-old, who formerly served in the armed forces.

“I’m a great believer in pushing boundaries.”

Andy, who is currently running 70 miles a week in preparation, continued: “You can’t really train for something like this, you’ve just got to learn how to adapt.

“I wouldn’t class myself as very fit now, but that mentality of not giving up has stayed with me.”

Five years ago Andy started competing in ultra marathons to raise money for the foundation, which was set up by Chris and Sarah Cookson in memory of their sons Charlie and Carter, to provide financial support for families of seriously ill children.

Andy, who lives in Gosforth, Newcastle, is hoping his latest effort will take him to the £10,000 mark.

“I’ve gotten to know Chris and Sarah over the years and they are fantastic people,” he said.

“They always say they don’t know how I do it, but all I do is run. I’ve never met two stronger people than them.”

Charity manager, Joanne Nicholson commented: “Andy's ongoing support means the world to us, he never fails to amaze us with the challenges he sets himself, however this challenge has blown us away and we can not thank him enough. He is our CCF superman.”

For more information and to donate visit www.andyslejog.com