The local man with the big heart

The manager of a local potato factory will be running the London Marathon to help raise money for the British Heart Foundation.

Ian Wait, 37, of Seavington St Michael, is currently undertaking an intense training regime in his bid to raise over £3,000 for the charity that helped his daughter, Niamh, survive a congenital heart defect.

Mr Wait began training in November 2007 and is now running 17 miles on a Saturday, with shorter runs undertaken several times throughout the week.

Ian, who works as a General Manager at Branston Ltd, the UK's leading potato producer, admits that he's still got a little way to go to take on the marathon's 26.2 mile circuit, but is confident that with his new diet of fresh fruit and vegetables and the slow-release energy he receives from his daily potato quota, he will be more than ready when the big day comes.

Mr Wait is intent on giving something back to the charity whose research helped not only Niamh when she was just his seven-weeks old, but his Dad and Father-in-Law who have both suffered heart attacks in the past.

"The British Heart Foundation is a really worthwhile cause," comments Ian. "I just want to raise as much as I can for a charity that has had such a major impact on my family.

"Without the research that the BHF undertakes on a daily basis even more people would lose their loved ones to heart disease."

Ian says participating in the London Marathon has been a life-long ambition: "I've always wanted to run the Marathon, but I've never managed to get around to it. Having such a worthwhile cause really got me motivated and with the race taking place a week after the first anniversary of Niamh's operation it seemed like the right time to do it."

Niamh is now a healthy one year old baby girl. She goes for regular six monthly check ups and is well on her way to a full recovery.

Anyone wishing to sponsor Ian can do so by visiting www.justgiving.com/ianwait and follow the links provided.