Many people may have seen Ric Broad running in the Bridstow, Foy and Walford areas and wondered what he was in training for.

Ric is a 69-year-old endurance athlete who is taking part in two half marathons and a unique race across the European Alps this August. Ric is hoping to raise £2,000 for Prostate Cancer UK.

The a charity is very close to his heart; both Ric and his twin brother, Pete, have been diagnosed with prostrate cancer. Pete has had some radical surgery, radiotherapy, MRI scans, and hormone therapy. Ric has had several biopsies and MRI scans, among other treatments. Ric told the Ross Gazette:?“I am running quite well and this is my way of trying to help gain funds for research into Prostate Cancer.”

He added that knowing people are donating to the cause is what will spur him on to complete such a tough challenge.

Ric took part in the half marathon at the Formula One race circuit at Silverstone race track on March 13th and is planning to run in the World Half Marathon championships on March 26th in Cardiff. His main goal however, is to complete the CCC Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc from Courmayeur in Italy around Mont Blanc to Chamonix in France.

This will require covering 101km in distance with approximately 20,000ft of accent. Then, when he returns, he will have managed to gain a place in the Great North Run on September 11th.

The Courmayeur Champex Chamonix, the triple CCC, is part of the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc, a full seven days of endurance running events around the Mont Blanc Massif in the European Alps. The main organising centre being in Chamonix, France.

Ric has qualified by running other Ultra marathons (over the 26.2 miles marathon distance) and gained sufficient points over the past two years. The qualifying races were the Thames 100km Ultra challenge and the Malvern Hills Ultra. Ric has been lucky in the draw as there are only 1,900 places given from 87 countries.

The CCC starts from Courmayeur in Italy on Friday, August 26th, taking the Trail du Mont Blanc to Switzerland and around to France.

It is a mountain race, with numerous passages at high altitude, in difficult weather conditions (night, wind, cold, rain or snow), that needs very good training, adapted equipment and a real capacity for personal autonomy.

If you would like to sponsor Ric, visit his online donation page:?www.justgiving.com/ccc2016