A SECOND city councillor is limbering up in preparation for this Sunday’s Brighton Marathon and is hoping to raise money for good causes to boot.

Labour councillor Dan Chapman is hopeful he will be at the start line in Preston Park on Sunday morning to take part in the seventh running of the event despite suffering from a knee injury.

The Queen’s Park ward councillor is already more than three-quarters of the way towards hitting his £1,000 fundraising target but is hopeful of bagging more if he successfully completes the 26.2 mile course this weekend.

He will go head-to-head with Conservative rival Robert Nemeth who is running the course to raise money to fund improvements to Boundary Road in Hove.

Up to 17,000 runners are expected to take part in the city’s marathon with 150,000 spectators cheering them on.

Cllr Chapman was encouraged to take part last May by his friend Rachel Mounter who signed up to run in support of Hamilton Lodge School in Brighton and invited Cllr Chapman to join her.

The first-term councillor said he has completed a 16 mile run in training but his knee injury prevented him from attempting a 20 miler and has forced him to rest for the past couple of weeks ahead of Sunday’s race.

The Brighton-born councillor said he had always harboured a desire to take part in the race since watching its first running in 2010.

He has already received the backing of a lot of his party colleagues including councillors Gill Mitchell, Daniel Yates, Karen Barford and Julie Cattell.

Cllr Chapman said: “I am hoping to make it despite injuring my knee in training.

“I have done a few races but haven’t done a marathon before, this will be my first time.

“The training is more difficult than I thought, you don’t realise the time that it takes out of your day, if you’re going for a long run it takes at least three hours.

“I was really keen when I signed up for the race to do it for a local charity.

“Hamilton Lodge is technically just outside my ward but a lot of children in my ward go there, it is such a good cause.”

David Couch, Hamilton Lodge Principal, said: “We are really grateful to Councillor Chapman, we know with all his responsibilities, this challenge is even harder.

"He has nearly reached his target of raising £1000 for our school which is amazing.

"Last year efforts by fundraisers raised money for a fitness trail and a brand new ICT suite for our students.

"Every penny counts in providing the best opportunities for our students to study and play.”

To donate search Hamilton Lodge at mydonate.bt.com