SELF-CONFESSED couch potato Belinda Stephenson could not even run from one lamppost to another two years ago.

But now the 47-year-old from Pewsham is about to run the London Marathon, after pledging to run the course before she was 50.

She has already raised nearly £3,000 for the Micro and Anophthalmic Children’s Society (MACS).

Mrs Stephenson said: “I was a complete couch potato, I’d never done anything sporty. My friend talked me into doing the Chippenham Harriers’ beginners’ course and then she quit, but I’d got addicted. It was really hard, every little incline was like a mountain to me back then.”

Now she has completed the course and is going to be a running leader for the next one, which starts on May 3 at Chippenham Sports Club.

“I wouldn’t have been able to do it if it wasn’t for the Harriers,” she said. But she admits she is nervous about her longest race yet.

She said: “My aim is to get to the end. They say the crowd will get me around.”

She is running about 40 miles a week and is fundraising with fellow Harriers member and Chippenham firefighter Rob Warwick, who will be running the marathon for the second time.

Mr Warwick, 47, who was one of the Olympic torch bearers in the town last year, is aiming to finish in four-and-a-half hours. He is training hard and has had not had a drink since Christmas day.

He said: “Last time I did it in 5:45. I picked up a bit of a niggle and it took me three hours to do the second half. This time I want to put my demons to rest.”

They are running for MACS because his friend Teresa Morgan, who grew up in Corsham, has a son called Harri with small eye syndrome.

In January they raised more than £200 by running the refreshment stand at the Harriers’ event Slaughterford 9. On Good Friday, a band night at the Old Lane in Pewsham added £600 to the total, and a whist drive in Devizes on Saturday gave a further boost of £350. Drainwizards 24/7 Ltd is matching everything raised, so has given £1,500 so far.

Everyone involved in MACS has a family member who has a child or children with severe eye conditions.

To donate, visit www.virginmoneygiving.com/RobWarwick and www.virginmoneygiving. com/BelindaStephenson