A first-time marathon runner is  taking on a gruelling training regime.

Chris Foss, 33, from Southampton, is set to tackle ice baths and park runs as he prepares for the TCS London Marathon 2025.

The keen runner, who has only previously completed a 10k distance, applied to run for Southampton cardiac charity Heartbeat after being unsuccessful in the initial ballot. He was accepted and has committed to an 'ambitious' fundraising target of at least £2,000.

A quarter of this amount must be raised by January 16.

Chris said: "I’ve never run a marathon before, although I regularly take part in my local 5k park run and I recently completed a 10k Race for Life.

“I’ve done my research and created my own training schedule for the lead up to the marathon. I want to progress gradually, making sure I don’t over-train and risk injury before next April.

"The London Marathon team have set me up with a fundraising page, so I’m going to post a link on social media, sharing it with friends and family and hopefully further afield too,” Chris commented. “The marketing team at SOS will also publicise it, and of course the team at Heartbeat will be shouting it from the rooftops.

"This opportunity still seems a bit surreal. There were a record number of applicants for next year’s marathon, over 840,000, so to be one of the runners lucky enough to get a place is the opportunity of a lifetime. I’m going to take it with both hands and try to raise as much money as I can for a great cause."

The 2025 TCS London Marathon will take place on Sunday, April 27.

Chris has an unusual way of cooling down after a run—he jumps into an ice bath in his back garden.

Since its inception in 1981, the London Marathon has raised more than £1 billion for various causes. The course spans 26.2 miles from Greenwich to Westminster and is renowned for its charity fundraising.