Stamford and Bourne men who play for Borderville Football Club in the Peterborough Vets league to run London Marathon 2024

Four men used to running around a football pitch will be swapping turf for the streets of London when they take on a marathon.

Dean Cornish, Sean Knight, Dan Dring and Sam Gregory-Smith play for Borderville Football Club in the Peterborough Vets league, as well as casually on a Thursday night in Stamford.

The players, from Stamford and Bourne, have swapped football boots for running shoes over the past few months to train for the London Marathon on April 21.

Dean, who is no stranger to the distance with this being his 19th marathon, said: “I’d do the London Marathon every day if I could as I love the event.

“The sights, the atmosphere, the personal stories, the money raised for charity. I love everything about it and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Dean, Sean and Sam will be running for We Are All Making A Difference (WAAMAD), a charity which funds days out and medical equipment to terminally ill children, while Dan will be running for Breast Cancer Now, following his wife’s diagnosis in 2019.

Each of the men have their own fundraising pages.

Dan said: “The London Marathon is one of the greatest events I have ever taken part in.

“The sheer scale and what people are doing for charity is nothing short of amazing.

“This year will be a very special one as I will be carrying my own very personal story.”

The runners are hoping for a variety of different times. Dan and Sam are experienced runners and want to finish in 3 hours 10 minutes and 3 hours 30 minutes respectively, while Dean and Sean are aiming for a time of 4 hours 30 minutes.