A RUNNER is aiming to complete three sponsored races to raise money for charity after his father had major heart surgery.

Paul Calladine's father, Keith, recently had a quadruple bypass after suffering ill health for decades.

Now Paul is training for the Edinburgh Marathon in aid of the British Heart Foundation.

He has already completed the London Marathon and Portsmouth's Great South Run on behalf of the charity, despite falling ill with gall stones.

The 35-year-old, of Park Lane, Tutbury, said he hoped to raise around £6,000 and was halfway to his target.

He said: "I'm doing this to repay the medics who have given my dad to me for an extra 30 years and hopefully a great deal more."

Keith, 65, of Daventry Close, Mickleover, said his son was "terrific". He said: "I'm really proud of him. The support from my family and friends has been tremendous, as has the help from the hospital staff."

Keith had his first heart attack aged 35. In December last year, he was given bypass surgery at specialist heart centre Papworth Hospital, in Cambridgeshire.

He was referred there by medics at Royal Derby Hospital because they feared that he may need a heart transplant if the operation did not work. Fortunately, it did.

Father-of-two Paul said: "For years, my dad suffered heart issues – he had angina and two further heart attacks. He was never a smoker, nor a big drinker. He worked very hard and always enjoyed going out and being active."

Paul ran the London Marathon in April last year after having his gall bladder removed in January. He said: "I realised that, being 6ft 2in and 16-and-a-half stone, I was never built to run.

"But having committed, I persevered and when I was getting stomach cramps I just thought it was aches and pains. It turned out it was gall stones and on examination I had three large ones and several small ones, so I had my gall bladder out, knocking me off my feet for two weeks.

"I returned to training in the March and completed the marathon in just over five hours. That was a long, hard slog."

A charity ball and auction will be held at the end of Paul's fund-raising efforts, on May 23, at Burton Albion FC. For details e-mail paul.calladine @molsoncoors.com.