A St Albans man is set to run this year’s London Marathon to raise money for a charity dedicated to granting once-in-a-lifetime wishes of seriously and terminally ill children.

Simon Osman, 37, will run the 26.2 mile stretch on Sunday, April 13 in aid of Starlight Children’s Foundation.

As well as this, he will also complete the IronMan 70.3 in Zurich in June to raise funds for the charity.

The money that Mr Osman is raising will not only help Starlight bring fun, laughter and distraction to lots of poorly children across the country, but it will also enable the charity to grant the wishes of brave children like five year old Ryan O’Callaghan from Newry in County Down. 

Ryan has Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy, which is a serious heart disorder that causes him to have low oxygen levels and poor tolerance to exercise.  He used to be on oxygen twenty-four hours a day but now only needs it at night, which has greatly improved the quality of his life. Ryan has to take regular medication throughout the day and is fed through a peg pump at night for the majority of his needs as his body is unable to gain enough nutrition through normal eating.  He may eventually need a heart transplant as the long term prospects are unknown but at the moment his condition remains stable.

The prospect of having a Starlight Wish has made Ryan very happy and excited - he told his mum that this was a “magical time” and it has been wonderful for his parents to see his delight. Ryan's Starlight Wish is linked to his greatest love in life – Lego.  His wish is to visit Legoland in Windsor with his family and with Mr Osman’s help, Starlight will be able to make his dream come true.

This is the first time that Mr Osman has set himself the challenge of completing the London Marathon.

Mr Osman said he chose the charity because: “Is there anything more heartbreaking than ill children? I have also spent time in a children’s ward and they are so brave.

"Training is going pretty well.  The longest run I have been on is 22 miles and I have been training most days because of the iron man challenge too.”

To sponsor Mr Osman visit http://www.justgiving.com/iFollowOffice-Viastak or call Starlight directly on 020 7262 2881.