It has been 12 years since Richard Dade strapped on a pair of running shoes to take part in his first London Marathon for charity.
And far from being a 'one-hit wonder', Mr Dade has kept up an admirable record of running events and has now raised almost £70,000 for various good causes.
Mr Dade, 47, from Wymondham, is now gearing up for this Sunday's London Marathon, having run all but two of the events since he started in 2005.
He said: 'I honestly thought after my first marathon that would probably be the only one I would do, but I did it again in 2007 and pretty much ever since then I've done it.
'The London Marathon is special. It's got a real family spirit to it and it's all about the people.'
READ MORE: Ten years of running and £50,000 later but Richard keeps on fundraisingMr Dade, who works at Duff Morgan Citroen in Norwich, estimates he has run about 12,000 miles training for, and taking part in, running events, which have also included the Marathon Relay GB in 2012, the Silverston Half Marathon and the Great North Run.
Mr Dade fundraised in his first marathon in memory of his father, who died from cancer. Since then he has raised sponsorship money for different charities, and is this year running for CLIC Sargent, a cancer charity for children, young people and their families.
He said: 'I've lost family members through cancer and that's really what sparked it.
'The charity side seemed to go hand-in-hand with the running.
'I always say to myself if I can do it, why not?
'There are other people who can't do it or will never get the chance.
'It's 42 kms of pain but that's nothing compared to what other people go through.'
And Mr Dade has set himself a high goal for this year's London event.
He is hoping to beat his personal best time of 3hrs 36mins.
Mr Dade said: 'I'm hopefully heading for sub-3hrs 30mins.'
He will have a couple of friends supporting him from the sidelines of the marathon, in which more than 50,000 people will be taking part.
His sponsors include Elektra Ltd, Mayday Office Equipment, Ideal Scaffolding, Buff Construction, JG Mills Plumbing & Heating, Norfolk Catering Ltd, Kingsley Healthcare, AVI Ltd and The Personal Development Company.
Mr Dade is a member of the Reepham Runners and the Wymondham Athletic Club.
Donations to Mr Dade's fundraiser can be made at www.virginmoneygiving.com/richarddade
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