A DORSET doctor plans to tackle the London Marathon in a huge costume with hopes of raising thousands for a charity that is close to his heart.

Simon Phillips, a GP at Poundbury Doctors Surgery, will take on the renowned marathon in October as part of a three-part challenge for 2022.

The challenge, created by Simon himself, has seen him already complete a half distance triathlon at the Outlaw Half on May 15 and a full distance triathlon at the UK Ultimate Triathlon on June 12, which Simon described as ‘exhausting’.

Simon previously ran the London Marathon in 2016, the year he lost his dad to Alzheimers, and is now returning in fancy dress with hopes to raise £2,500 for Alzheimer’s Research UK (ARUK).

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Simon said: “It was an emotional experience crossing that finish line. I’ve always been in awe of people running the marathon in fancy dress and have wanted to do it for some time. By fancy dress I mean a full-on costume.

“I approached ARUK and they suggested a Big Ben costume a previous runner has used in 2019 that made the headlines as it went missing after it was left outside a pub after the event, and it’s so tall, he had difficulty fitting over the finishing line. I jumped at the opportunity!”

Dorset Echo: Doctor, Simon Phillips, will run the London Marathon dressed in that famous Big Ben costumeDoctor, Simon Phillips, will run the London Marathon dressed in that famous Big Ben costume

Simon knows the importance of exercise and practices what he preaches having done his fair share of running and triathlon events over the years.

Simon added: “The biggest challenge has been fitting the training around fulltime work and family commitments. I’m now training for part three, running dressed as Big Ben. I won’t be going for the world marathon record as a London landmark. My objective is to raise awareness about dementia and the work done by ARUK in dementia research and finding effective treatments.

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“I’ll be thinking about my dad on the way round and the fabulous support from my family and friends. I’ll be getting some practice runs in over the summer, so if you see me out and about, give a supportive wave and cheer!”

To donate for Simon’s cause visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/simon-phillips70