Carshalton Athletic captain Lewis Taylor is calling on football fans to support him as he trains for the biggest race of his life.

Not content with working a full-time job and playing for Carshalton Athletic, the energetic midfielder is further testing his stamina levels by taking on the London Marathon this year – and its all in memory of his late mother.

He said: “My mum passed away after a sudden heart attack last year so I've decided to honour her by running the marathon.

“I’m doing it alongside a friend and any money I raise will be split between the Heart Foundation and global charity International Needs.”

Taylor's training routine began in earnest a while back and, over and above finishing the gruelling 26.2 mile course through the capital, he and his running partner have a couple of goals in mind.

“We are aiming to complete it in under four hours but, even if we don’t achieve that, we want to at least run the whole distance – not get into a stop-start scenario," Taylor added.

“I’m down the gym every day after work, plus we’ve recently hit the streets to get used to varying terrain.

"We recently completed 14 miles without stopping, so we are getting there."

The London Marathon takes place on April 13 and you can sponsor Taylor by visiting http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LewisTaylor23