Norwich City chief executive David McNally has another important end-of-season date in his diary when he runs the London Marathon in aid of the NORCAS charity.

McNally is aiming to help raise funds for the charity's 'Too Much Too Young' appeal – launched to support up to 15,000 young people in Norfolk living with parents or guardians with drug, alcohol or gambling related problems. City's chief executive is currently pounding the early morning streets of Norwich in preparation for his third tilt at the world famous event on April 17.

'I had no real inclination to run it again but after meeting the great people of NORCAS I felt it would be a fantastic way of supporting the appeal because I was really taken aback by some of the awful statistics surrounding these vulnerable children who need our support,' he said. 'What we are trying to do is employ professionals who can support these children who have to live with parents or guardians with alcohol or drug problems.

'We want to make sure they don't end up in a cycle where they might experience the same problems. We would really appreciate whatever money people could spare us, because I can genuinely say every penny raised goes to supporting these vulnerable children. I feel desperately sorry for the parents, of course, but we have to support these young children by giving them the confidence and reassurance to know they can get help.'

McNally's training regime will peak at 50 miles per week before the race itself.

'I run a little bit anyway and would probably be doing 30 or 35 miles each week,' he said. 'Now I'm up to about 40 and, subject to no injuries, will look to peak at about 50 miles a week a month before and then taper down. It would be nice to finish in under four hours, but the most important thing is trying to raise as much as we can for NORCAS. It's not easy to find the time but what I tend to do is if I need to be at work for 6.30am, I will get up an hour earlier. My problem is with the job I do, I'm not sure how my day might develop. If I plan to run in the evening and something happens, I can't do that.'

City's chief executive, along with the rest of the club's backroom staff, are putting all their energies into helping Paul Lambert's Championship promotion push.

'This is a great football and although Paul and the boys have already had success, there is a real determination to do as well as we possibly can again this season,' he said. 'I know it's the biggest cliche in football but it is one week, one game at a time. It is tight at top between so many clubs and there isn't a whole lot separating a lot of clubs. All we can say is that everyone behind the scenes is focussed on giving Paul and the guys every chance of achieving further success.'

• To find out more and to support David McNally's London Marathon charity run in aid of the NORCAS 'Too Much Too Young' appeal, visit virginmoneygiving.com/ davidmcnally