Completing one marathon in a lifetime is an incredible and often unthinkable achievement for most people.

So imagine the superhuman stamina and willpower needed to run the equivalent of 52 marathons in one year.

It’s literally a walk in the park for Paul Hartshorn, 48, of Tarnworth Road in Harold Hill, who has already run 1,286miles – the equivalent of 49 marathons - this year in aid of charity Help for Heroes.

The self-confessed ‘fitness fanatic’ has completed 14 events and clocked 1,000miles on the treadmill alone as part of his fundraising for a charity close to his heart.

The DLR night technician scaled Mount Pantokrator in Corfu and the Lake District in north England as part of his challenge to run 1,000 miles in one year – which he recently smashed.

Now father-of-three Paul, who has already raised around �5,000, has six more events lined up until the end of the year, hoping to raise �10,000 in total for the charity which supports service men and women.

As part of the extra events, Paul will be taking on the Baxter’s Loch Ness Marathon this Sunday October 2 and donning a Santa costume in the Dagenham 5km Santathon in December.

By then he would have run at least another 76miles – the equivalent of an incredible 52 marathons in one year.

Paul decided to fundraise for Help for Heroes after his nephew Mike Barton, 26, completed his service in Iraq last year. Mike was lucky enough to leave the army unharmed, though as Paul said: “many of his friends were not.”

Paul, who clocks 40 to 60 miles per week, usually rests for one week every month-and-a-half.

He said one of his hardest courses was the Lakeland Trail Marathon in the Lake District in July, adding: “There were around 1,000 people from 18 countries taking part and only 368 completed it. That was some feat.

“But all I am doing is a bit of running and without the lovely people who have donated it just wouldn’t be worth it.”

To donate, visit: www.uk.virginmoneygiving.com/paulhartshorn