Fundraiser aiming for ultra marathon glory at 87

An 87-year-old man is setting out to prove that age is just a number by completing a 50km (31-mile) ultra marathon.

Paul Youd, from Taunton, Somerset, is a seasoned runner and has earned a reputation for taking on crazy challenges in the name of charity.

He claims to have experienced numerous health benefits after adopting a vegan diet in later life and will be running and walking the ultra marathon route around Bath on 29 March to raise money for animal rights campaign charity Viva.

"You've just got to keep putting one foot in front of the other and the rest takes care of itself" said Mr Youd.

"No one's timing you so you can stop and have a rest with some coffee and cake."

He will be accompanied on the run by six members from the group Running for Plants - a programme that seeks to emphasise the benefits a plant-based diet can have on fitness.

Mr Youd says he adopted a vegan diet about 20 years ago and attributes it to helping his osteoarthritis.

He has since sought to promote the diet and says it is the reason why he started running.

"In my forties, I couldn't run but after going vegan I noticed that one day I was able to chase my grandson around the dining table and I had no pain," he said.

Since then, Mr Youd has completed nine ultra marathons - the longest being a 106km (66-mile) trip around the coastline of the Isle of Wight.

His challenges are not limited to running either - he has also set himself the target of completing one million press-ups between the ages of 80 and 90 and completes at least 1,000 every three days - and all in the name of charity.

"I've raised money for loads of different charities but I'm mainly doing it for animal and vegan ones now," he said.