Running your first marathon is a daunting enough task, let alone attempting it less than a day after 80 minutes of a bruising rugby battle. But Ledger revealed he is fulfilling a promise he made to one of his closest friends. “I made the decision to run the marathon last year,” he explained. “Sadly, the father of one of my closest friends, Adam Worth, passed away from cancer a couple of years ago which was when the initial idea came about.

“We had always said we would do something in his memory but had never properly put our minds to it. Then in April last year, Adam’s younger brother Rob tragically took his own life, at which point Adam decided he was going to run the marathon in their memory.”

Ledger continued: “Over these past few years, Adam has had to overcome a number of incredibly difficult times, more often than not by himself. So when he told me about his plan, I made a promise to him that I’d be there every step of the way. We both applied through the marathon ballot and were both accepted.

"Additionally, on a more personal note, my father was diagnosed with cancer eight years ago. Without the help of Cancer Research, he might not necessarily be here today to support me. So, the marathon and the money that I’m raising for Cancer Research is a chance, albeit small, for me to thank them on behalf of my family.”

The 24-year-old former Exeter Student, who has had to fit in his marathon training around work and rugby commitments, is under no illusion about the size of the challenge awaiting him.

“It’s probably not the smartest decision I’ve ever made,” he admitted. “But I made a promise to Adam before any fixtures had been announced and the one big positive is that I won’t have to play any rugby following this weekend for a few months at least!”

This will be the first time Ledger has attempted to run 26.2 miles - “I’d like to think of myself as pretty fit but I’ve never attempted anything like this,” he said. “It’s always been on the bucket list, but I convinced myself I’d just wait until I’d stopped playing and lost a few kilos before giving it a go.

“Some of the guys in the squad think it’s a pretty stupid thing to do, but on the whole they’ve been supportive. I’m hoping I’ll see a few faces on the day dotted around the course. It helps that a lot of the boys are good friends with Adam and therefore know the reasoning behind it all.”

Ledger added: “I’m hoping on the day that Adam will set the pace and I’ll just sit in behind him for the majority of it; whether or not we manage to stick to that is another thing completely!

“When we first got our acceptance letters through, Adam and I had a chat and in hindsight, set a rather ambitious target of somewhere around the 3 hrs 15 mins mark. The lack of training on my part and the added complication of the match the day beforehand has meant we’ve had to rein that in a little. Ultimately, I just want to get around in one piece with my knees still intact. I’d be delighted with that!"

There is still time to sponsor Harry by following the link below:
https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/harrys-london-marathon-2