A DISABLED runner and a pensioner from Weymouth are set to tackle the Barcelona Marathon together on Sunday.

Christopher Hayman, 50, had to learn to walk again after suffering a stroke in 1987 but took up running to stay active and has not looked back.

George Lawrence, 72, did not start running until he was 63 but found it cured his asthma and he has been jogging ever since.

Now the pair – both members of Egdon Heath Harriers – are off to Spain to compete in the gruelling 26.2-mile effort.

Mr Hayman, of Chesil View, said running has helped him greatly with his disability.

“Obviously I’m still here, that’s the main thing,” he said. “I cannot feel sorry for myself.

“Just because you’re disabled, it doesn’t mean you can’t be active. Disability is as much in the mind as it is the body.”

Mr Hayman, who is taking daughters Natasha and Bethany to Barcelona for support, said: “This will be my 15th marathon.

“I’m really looking forward to it.

“I’ve not been very well lately but I’ve got a fairly good level of fitness so I should be okay.”

Former industrial chemist Mr Lawson suffered from asthma until he retired and started running in 2000.

“I found the more I ran, the better my asthma became,” he said. “I haven’t taken any medication for six years now.

“I’m our club’s oldest member but by no means the slowest.”