A father-to-be was inspired to run the toughest races in the country after his mother was diagnosed with cancer - and when his sister was diagnosed too, he decided to run even further.

Adam Lee, from Enfield, is running 12 ultra-marathons – totalling more than 500 miles – over seven months to raise money for charity.

Mr Lee, who runs a moving company, is now just over halfway through the challenge and plans to run the remaining five ultra-marathons before the end of August.

He was inspired to raise money for the fight against cancer after his mother, who was diagnosed seven years ago, was successfully treated and recovered.

Mr Lee said: “When my mum was diagnosed I felt very hopeless, I didn’t know how to help or what to do. Since then I have wanted to fundraise and I wanted to do something big.”

The original plan was to run a marathon a month throughout 2018, but then he found out he and his wife were expecting a child and decided to complete all 12 by the end of August.

Mr Lee’s plans then changed again when his sister was diagnosed with a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He said: “When my sister was diagnosed I felt helpless again. What I knew I could do was push myself further. So I signed up to the 100-mile Thames Path run.”

The 100-mile-long ultra-marathon will be his last and longest run. He will race along the Thames Path from the Thames Barrier to Streatley, in Berkshire, on August 24.

The races might sound gruelling, but Mr Lee doesn’t see it that way. He said: “I am really enjoying the experience. I love getting out in the countryside. Being alone with yourself trying to push on and keep running for 15 hours is like a personal experiment.”

So far, Mr Lee he has raised over £2,500 for the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), London. It has been researching the treatment and prevention of cancer for over 100 years.

Professor Paul Workman, chief executive of the ICR, said: “It is really motivating for me and all of our researchers to see the hard work and dedication of supporters like Adam. With their support, we can continue to make a real impact on cancer patients' lives.”

You can donate and support Adam at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/adsultras