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Captain Kevin Simmons is recovering from blood cancer and wants to raise £1,000 for a children's charity

Cancer survivor Captain Kevin Simmons aims to raise £1,000 when he takes part in the Flora London marathon on April 13.

Capt Simmons,42, of the 21st Signal Regiment at Colerne barracks, has entered with the Mr Men and Little Miss team in his second London race. It is his sixth marathon and he is running for the successful UK charity Children with Leukaemia.

He said: "I have had Hodgkin's Lymphoma twice now and am currently recovering with check- ups every two months.

"I had more concerns the second time the cancer came around as I had a family and the cancer was further advanced at stage three. There are four stages in total but I never thought that I wouldn't recover."

He first became ill in March 2000 and was given the all clear after five years only to discover it had returned a year ago.

He said: "Though there is nothing to suggest that this illness is hereditary, I am competing in the marathon for Children with Leukaemia as I can't bear the thought of my son going through the same as I have.

Capt Simmons has been very active throughout his military career and even during his illness he kept fit. He has already planned his next event, to mountain bike the length of Offa's Dyke on the Welsh/English border by the end of the summer.

He said: "I really enjoy mountain bike riding and hope to complete this event to raise more money for the charity."

Before training for the marathon, Capt Simmons exercised for an hour each day, though he is currently training five to six times a week.

He ran the Belfast marathon in 1985 and 1987 and the New Forest marathon in 1995 and 1996.

He ran the London marathon in 2003 for Leukaemia Research.

Hodgkin's Lymphoma is a type of blood cancer. Around 1,500 are diagnosed with it every year.

" I would just like to thank my wife, for all the support she has given me. My son has also been great as well," said Capt Simmons.

"I just want to see him grow up in a healthy environment and for me taking part in the marathon just means I can do that little bit extra to make sure my son has the opportunity for the best treatment, if he needed it."

His wife, Sharon, 36, and only son Oliver who is three in June, will be supporting him in London.

The Mr Men and Little Miss team will stand out from the crowd at the annual marathon in their trademark Mr Happy and Mr Tickle running vests. There will also be six huge Mr Men and Little Miss costumes.

Children with Leukaemia is now one of Britain's leading charities dedicated to raising awareness about childhood leukaemia.

The charity does this through research, raising money for new treatments and giving its support to children suffering with leukaemia and to their families.

Capt Simmons said: "The illness has definitely affected my sporting ability, but it doesn't stop me training and running in the marathon. I hope to complete the London marathon in less than three and a half hours but would be happy with four. My best time was three hours and seven minutes in Belfast."

8:52am Friday 4th April 2008

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