Norman nears the end of his epic run (From Tewkesbury Admag)

Norman nears the end of his epic run

A REMARKABLE 60-year-old Bourton man with two artificial hips is nearing the end of his epic 1,000 mile run from John o'Groats to Land's End.

Norman Lane is hoping to complete his extraordinary feat on Sunday, a full day ahead of schedule.

Norman, who is a super-fit builder and club president and founder member of Bourton Road Runners, will be the first person to run the 1,000-mile distance with one false hip, let alone two.

If, as looks likely, he succeeds, he will become a world record holder.

In addition, he hopes to raise £100,000 for medical research charity the Arthritis Research Campaign.

Last weekend Norman was buoyed up for the final third of his journey after taking a massive detour to run through his home village, where he was joined by friends from the Road Runners club.

Before setting off on July 26, Norman, who had a double hip replacement operation in 1998 after suffering from arthritis for more than 12 years, said: "I was so grateful that the hip replacement surgery gave me a full life again, that I wanted to put something back."

Speaking on her mobile phone last week, Norman's wife Ali, who is accompanying him, said her husband was doing very well and keeping very fit as he runs 30 miles a day.

She said that despite the detour he had been looking forward to visiting Bourton last Saturday.

"We feel it will be worth it for the excitement of going through the village and seeing everybody," said Ali.

The high point of the run so far has been receiving a police escort along Prince's Street in Edinburgh, where traffic was held up to let Norman through.

The police, who accompanied him for five or six miles, even caught up with him two days later as he was about to cross the border into England to present him with a video of the Edinburgh section of his run and a £20 donation.

Anyone who would like to sponsor Norman Lane online can do so on http://www.justgiving.com/normlane or via Nick Barker, Arthritis Research Campaign area appeals manager for Gloucestershire on 01452 307116.