THREE health workers will be practising what they preach when they take on the ultimate fitness test - running the London Marathon.

Clinic supervisor Barbara Ralph, nurse Alison Ward and health visitor Diane Burns, from Westbrook Medical Centre, will be jogging through the streets of the capital on April 18. The trim trio hopes to raise £4,000 for the Foundation for the Study of Infant Death and research into metabolic diseases in children.

Barbara, aged 38, said: "We have been running to keep fit on and off for a couple of years but we have never run a marathon. We did the Great Northern Run in Newcastle last year and had a great time, so we thought we'd give the London Marathon a go."

The colleagues have been following a tough regime, running five to 10 miles during weekdays and 15 miles every Sunday. But Barbara is already starting to feel the burn. "I'm not sure I'm at peak fitness yet. My legs are absolutely killing me!" she said.

The women plan to make the most of their weekend in the big city. "We'll probably hit the town on Friday night, die on the Saturday and then crawl around the course on the Sunday."

To sponsor the trio, contact Barbara on 634459 or Alison on 269375. The women will be hosting a 60s and 70s disco at Winwick Social Club on March 12. Tickets are available from Westbrook Medical Centre.

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