A FORMER Exmoor man is returning home on Saturday (April 18) as he takes part in a gruelling 112 miles coast to coast ultra marathon to raise £12,000 for a Parkinson’s disease charity.

Alex Lethbridge, who was brought up in Honeymead, near Simonsbath, now owns with his brother Henry a London specialist construction and renovation company named after the family.

He will have 30 hours to run from Wembury, on the South Devon coast, to Lynmouth, on the Exmoor coastline, and aims to raise £12,000 for Cure Parkinson’s.

The route is a continuous race transcending Dartmoor and Exmoor and including 16,000 feet of elevation.

With little signage and running through the night, map reading skills are vital.

Alex will expend 17,000 calories while clocking more than 200,000 steps, meaning food consumption is the key to completion.

Brought up on Exmoor, Alex is returning to his roots, where the ‘Worthies of Devon’ count Viking hero and Swedish and Danish king Ragnar Lothbrok as one of his ancestors.

The world’s greatest living explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes was an Exmoor neighbour and friend of Alex’s parents and his inspiration.

Twenty-two years ago, Alex successfully ran the 151-mile Marathon des Sables in Morocco’s Sahara Desert, known as the ‘toughest footrace on earth’, and raised money for Milverton Parish Church’s organ fund.

Alex said: “The Devon coast to coast is a much tougher assignment as you do not get to sleep.”

He has been training for the past 11 months, accumulating 1,300 miles and more than five million steps.

Leaving the house four times a week at 4.30 am to run 10 to 20 miles before breakfast, Alex has just enough time to see his three boys, kiss his wife goodbye, and head to work.

He has trained in Cyprus, Italy, and France, as well as some wintery training marathons on Dartmoor.

Alex said: “Five years ago, my mother was diagnosed with Parkinson’s.

“It was diagnosed late, so we were not prepared for the unorthodox and unkind nature of the disease.

“Many people have heard of Parkinson’s, but very few know anything about the disease.

“People, like my mother, who were once active, healthy, and full of energy, in just a few years can find themselves relying on full time carers and wheelchairs.

“The symptoms are painful, non-stop, and very difficult to medicate.

“Parkinson’s is a neurological condition that affects millions worldwide and is one of the world’s fastest growing diseases.”

Now, he is supporting Cure Parkinson’s a charity founded in 2005 by four Parkinson’s sufferers frustrated at the lack of progress toward a cure.

Alex said: “Since then, they have invested millions into pioneering research, accelerated scientific discoveries, and opened up new avenues for treatments which aim to slow, stop, or even reverse Parkinson’s, but more pounds are needed.

“Every donation will fund vital research that will help defeat this crippling disease and transform the lives of all Parkinson’s sufferers.”

Alex has a JustGiving page for donations or people can give direct to Cure Parkinson’s.