HE can’t see his hand in front of his face, but James Cole plans to run more than 26 miles surrounded by thousands of moving obstacles on Sunday, April 26.

The 36-year-old customer service advisor is registered blind, but hasn’t let Stargardt disease get in the way of his push to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity.

James, of Morse Street in the town centre, was inspired after witnessing the life-saving work of GOSH.

A four-year-old boy he knew, who faced complications after contracting chicken pox, suffered up to 15 strokes across two days and needed GOSH to save him.

The child, now six, must use a wheelchair as a result of the episode, but James remains impressed with the quality of life the hospital was able to preserve for him.

“Great Ormond Street Hospital worked it out and fortunately they saved his life, giving him some quality of life too,” he said.

“He’s not the same little boy he was, but he’s still with us and able to live.”

The father-of-one, whose own son turned six at the weekend, has been fighting his own battle for the past 10 years with Stargardt disease, leaving him with just seven per cent of the vision the majority of people have.

The disease, which is an inherited form of macular degeneration, has taken a chunk out of his central vision, which has left him with little more than peripheral sight.

He describes his remaining vision as the static display on a television, which has limited his winter training runs to the well-lit streets of Swindon, mainly Queens Drive.

His brother, Alex, 40, will also be running for GOSH on Sunday, and much of the navigation will rest on his broad shoulders on race day.

“I will be able to see the person in front of me. I can see them, so that shouldn’t be too much of a challenge, “ said James.

“My brother’s a very big chap too, he’s 6ft 2ins, so he will help guide me.”

James said he has coped with the solo runs by judging the pavements and crossings through his peripheral vision, but it has not always been easy.

The idea of going from treadmill to roads caused nerves, but a run-in with a dog in one of his outdoor forays last year did not help.

James admits he probably startled the animal as he turned a sharp corner before it lunged at him and bit him on the leg, although it didn’t leave him with any lasting damage.

“There have been moments, certainly when I went from training in the gym to training outside, there was fear,” he said.

“It was quite a scary moment. I knew I would be moving outdoors from January and I began feeling very, very nervous about it.”

For more information and details on how to sponsor James’ effort, visit www.justgiving.com/James-AlexCole8.