Rothwell runner who beat meningitis as a baby taking on London Marathon for charity

Shaun Sannerude from Rothwell is in training for the London Marathon, which takes place on April 23.

He will be taking on the 26-mile course around the streets of the capital to raise money for the Meningitis Research Foundation (MRF).

On his Justgiving page, Shaun says: “Not everyone will know but I had bacterial meningitis at eight-months-old.

“It had an everlasting effect on me leaving me deaf in my left ear.

“I was lucky, I still had my life and thankfully can lead a normal life.

“Some people aren’t as fortunate as me.

“I’m incredibly proud to be chosen by MRF to run the London Marathon so I can give something back to a charity that does such incredible and important research to help save lives.

“Without this research I may well have not been so lucky.”

Shaun was delighted to complete a 13.5-mile run at Brixworth Country Park last month, the longest distance for him so far, and he will be building on this during the run-up to the big day itself.

He has set himself the target of raising £2,000 and he is almost there with £1,750 raised so far.

But anyone who wants to sponsor Shaun can do so by clicking here

Shaun has also received corporate sponsorship from the county-based men’s footwear company TredFlex, and they have provided him with financial support as well as personal training sessions and training tops.

The runner is keeping people up-to-date with his fundraising and training activities via his blog, which you can find by clicking here

Meningitis is a condition which can kill or be seriously disabling in hours.

Small children and young adults are high risk, but all ages can be affected.

Globally 1,000 people die from it daily.

MRF fundraises to invest in research, campaign for vaccines, provide symptom information and support those affected by it.