Man to run marathon dressed as the London Eye

A man is to run the London Marathon dressed as the London Eye after recovering from being paralysed from the waist down.

Roger Farnsworth, from Sandiacre in Derbyshire, contracted encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain, in 1999 and was left unable to walk for weeks.

He plans to take on the marathon in April carrying a replica of the landmark, which he has built from electrical conduit tubing and water bottles.

"I've not actually tested it with an actual run yet, so I hope it doesn't fall apart," the 56-year-old said.

Mr Farnsworth will take part in the race to raise money for Spinal Research.

He said running had become part of his long-term recovery once he had learned to walk again.

He added: "I've run quite a lot of half-marathons and marathons before, and I think this might be my last hurrah.

"I once ran the London Marathon as an illuminated bee, and I wanted to do something different. I remembered a chap did it as Big Ben and got stuck under the finish line, so I thought I'd pick a different landmark on the course."

Mr Farnsworth, who hopes to raise £2,250 for the charity, said he aimed to complete the 26.3 mile (42.2km) course in under five hours.

Spinal Research chief executive Louisa McGinn said: "Roger is definitely going to be easy to spot with his incredible London Eye costume.

"We're so grateful to him."

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