A HUNTINGDONSHIRE man might not be the only person to finish a half marathon on crutches but he will certainly be the only one to start with them.

A HUNTINGDONSHIRE man may not be the only person to finish his half marathon on crutches but he will certainly be the only one to start with them.

RAF reservist Gary Edgerton hopes to complete the Adidas Half Marathon at Silverstone on Sunday despite having an injured knee.

The 53-year-old, who lives at Perry, injured himself while training and has been unable to run since the end of January.

But Gary has not let a little thing like that get in his way. He can still walk, and two weeks ago managed to get in a training sessions on crutches at Grafham Water.

Mr Edgerton thinks it could take him about an hour to complete just three miles, but is determined to see if he can go the entire 13-mile distance.

He said: “I can walk up and down stairs with no ill effects, but I do not know if I will be able to sustain the impact of doing a half marathon.

“I am going to see how it goes. I am tempted to ask the organisers for a half-an-hour start ahead of the other runners, but it is not a race.

“I am just going to turn up and see what I can do. There is no shame in not completing it. I do not know how I will feel though once I pass the one mile marker.”

Mr Edgerton, who is a member of the 600 City of London squadron and in his day-job is a building services contract manager for the Science Museum in London, will be joined by eight other RAF reservists and regulars from across the country.

The team - called RAF United - hopes to raise �1,000 for The Royal British Legion, The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund and The Soldier’s Charity by completing the 13 mile course.

So far they have raised �596, 80 per cent of which will go to The Royal British Legion.

Mr Edgerton said: “None of us are seasoned runners and are using this occasion to improve our fitness, which is one of the main criteria for continued employment in the RAF, both for the regulars and the reserves.”

The team also plans to tackle the BUPA Great South Run in October and next year’s London Marathon. The team is open to all RAF regulars or reservists, and new members are welcome.

INFORMATION: Anyone wishing to join RAF United should e-mail RAFunited_enquire@btinternet.com or to sponsor the team go to uk.virginmoneygiving.com/RAFunited