​Littlehampton Prom​​ parkrunners turn out in force to celebrate East Preston assisted wheelchair team’s successful London Marathon bid

Stephen Merridue, 24, and his dad David have been awarded one of only ten places worldwide in the assisted wheelchair ballot for the 2024 London Marathon.

They are regulars at Littlehampton Prom parkrun and there was a huge group running with them on Saturday, as a celebration of their successful bid and to support them as they start their training journey.

Stephen, who has cerebral palsy, said: "I am so looking forward to the marathon. It is a dream come true for me and Dad. We are regulars at Littlehampton Prom Parkrun and got a great support team, who follow and run with us."

Stephen and David will be running as Team Dude through the streets of London on April 21. David will be pushing Stephen in a specially-adapted running wheelchair and they will be raising money for Dame Vera Lynn Children's Charity, which Stephen attended 20 years ago.

They said it was brilliant to do the parkrun as a group and thanked all the volunteers and support crew who helped make it such a special day on Saturday.

Their marathon training began with a ten-mile run on Sunday, January 28, which they really enjoyed. They followed up with an impromptu 10k trail run to start February.

To see their progress, follow Team Dude Assisted Running on Facebook, and to support the Team Dude 2024 London Marathon Assisted Running fundraising, visit www.justgiving.com/page/team-dude-london-marathon-2024

Assisted wheelchair teams can take part in the London Marathon with a maximum number of four support personnel helping to push from Greenwich to Westminster. Of the four, only two can push the assisted wheelchair at one time.

The TCS London Marathon says sport should be accessible to all and the ballot takes places once a year for a limited number of assisted places. Details for the 2025 London Marathon will be released in the summer.