A 20-year-old from Old Catton is gearing up to run the London Marathon in memory of her dad.
Lucy Ring is taking part in the 26.2 mile run this weekend for Cardiomyopathy UK.
Miss Ring's dad, Mark died at the age of 49 after suffering a cardiac arrest in 2016.
He ran a race which she watched in the morning, he didn't finish at the time the family were expecting him to finish. Mark eventually finished with someone who helped him cross the finish line. When he got home he went into cardiac arrest and paramedics couldn't do anything.
A few months after Mark's death, his family were told that it was caused by a heart condition called cardiomyopathy.
Mark was a very fit and healthy man but he was struck down with the condition out of nowhere which often runs in families.
He was the person who got her into running and they always ran together. They wanted to finish a marathon together one day, and she always wanted to run one.
Miss Ring, said: 'I'm running the London Marathon in memory of my dad. He ran 11 marathons including London in 2009 and 2014.
'We always wanted to run a marathon together so I can't wait to run London in his honour and achieve something he always said I could and make him proud. I also feel honoured to be able to run on behalf of Cardiomyopathy UK as I really believe that there needs to be more research to be able to help people in the future.'
So far she has raised more than £2,500 for Cardiomyopathy UK and wants to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of the condition for others as it changed hers and her families lives.
Joel Rose, chief executive for Cardiomyopathy UK, said: 'It is essential that families start talking to each other about heart disease within the family as cardiomyopathies can be poorly understood.
'Sudden cardiac deaths can only be prevented if people at risk are identified. We would urge anyone with symptoms of cardiomyopathy or a family history to speak to their GP.'
He added: 'Young people are the biggest losers in the diagnosis lottery as they don't conform to a 'typical heart patient' so they are often misdiagnosed and their cardiomyopathy symptoms are often attributed to something else like asthma.
'Too many people have died suddenly from this disease, we all need to abandon our preconceptions and stereotypes of what a patient with a heart condition looks like.
'Family history is a crucial indicator of risk, and we all need to take action and start talking more for this to change.'
For more information, visit www.cardiomyopathy.org
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