A WOMAN from Crowthorne will be lacing up her shoes to take on a half marathon in London this weekend.

Katy Bowman, 25, and her friend Holly Brown (26), who lives in London, will be taking on the Richmond RunFest Half Marathon on Sunday (16) to raise money for World Cancer Research Fund’s cancer prevention and survival work.

The pair, who met at became friends while studying at the University of Bournemouth, decided to take on the challenge in memory of Katy's father, David, who passed away from cancer in September last year, nearly a year ago to the day of the race.

The friends, who are not seasoned runners, have been training for four months and are hoping to raise more than £650 for the charity.

They will join around 8,000 runners taking part in the weekend of running events, which includes fun runs and children's races.

Katy said: "We are running in loving memory of my amazing Dad, David Bowman, and for all who have been affected by cancer to help raise awareness and support cancer prevention."

Gerard Cousins, Director of Fundraising at World Cancer Research Fund, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to Katy and Holly for their fantastic support. It’s thanks to the amazing efforts of people like them that we can continue to help the public make more informed lifestyle choices to reduce their risk of cancer.” To support Katy and Holly’s fundraising efforts, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/katybowman