Family members’ battles with cancer will motivate Brandon hotel owner during London Marathon

Candy Summers said she knows the experience of running her first marathon will be tough but has said she can look at the names on her arms to give her a push when she needs it.

The co-owner of The Great Eastern Hotel in Brandon will be pounding the pavements of the capital to raise money for Cancer Research UK - a charity close to her heart.

Miss Summers has lost a number of people to the illness, including her cousins, James, Carmen and Lisa, her aunt Olga and good friend Mick.

Another of her cousins, Amelia, her aunt Dawn and friend Sherry have recovered or are battling the disease.

The 35-year-old said: 'I was thinking about how much I will be thinking of them when I am running along the course. Putting their names on my arm is going to push me through.'

She added: 'When you actually sit and think of how many family members and friends have either died or are suffering from this dreadful disease it really scares you.

'It is a terrible thing because you feel like you cannot do anything about it. When you hear someone has got cancer you just think, 'how many more is this going to happen to?''

Miss Summers, who has co-owned the hotel for four years with her business partner David Marks, has taken her training for the marathon seriously.

She is following a training plan sent out to runners from the organisers, has joined a running club and completed a 10km run and half marathon.

She has also not touched a drop of alcohol for two months.

'It is something I have always wanted to do,' she said. 'I have always been a keen runner to keep fit.

'My second cousin is also running for cancer research and we're at the same start time. We're going to start the marathon together.'

Miss Summers is no stranger to raising money for the charity - she has previously held fun days at the hotel which have raised almost £3,000.

She hopes to raise £5,000 from her marathon run.

To sponsor Mrs Summers click here