A HIGHWORTH butcher ran three marathons in as many days to fund a life-saving cancer unit.

Andy Sears, owner of Andrew’s Quality Meats, jogged a gruelling 79 miles over Cornwall’s unforgiving coastline.

The 52-year-old butcher, who completed the London Marathon earlier this year, took on the Atlantic Coast Challenge in aid of Brighter Futures.

Keen runner Andy has raised almost £5,750 for the charity’s £2.9million radiotherapy appeal.

Andy’s dad passed away last year after a battle with oesophagus cancer.

Andy said: “I’d looked at doing a long run a while ago and never got round to doing it. I’ve done marathons, but this run sounded quite nice.”

Setting off from Padstow and finishing at Land’s End, mainland Britain’s most westerly point, the run took Andy along Cornwall’s rugged north coast.

“Each day was different,” said Andy, who found himself running along sandy beaches one day and tiptoeing along cliff tops the next.

He said: “The first day was brilliant sunshine, although that was probably a bit warm for running. The scenery was absolutely fantastic.

“The second day was a bit rainy, but ideal for running – and still beautiful. The last day was just overcast.”

Remarkably for a man running the equivalent of a marathon a day, Andy said he felt less tired than he expected.

“I felt surprisingly good,” he said. “You’re not racing, like you do with a marathon. The idea of this is just to finish.

“Obviously your legs were aching, but other than that we weren’t flagging.”

The runners kicked off each day with a cooked breakfast – an unusual start for runners used to starting race day with bananas or porridge.

Andy said: “You needed the protein to get you going.”

He said that he had burned an estimated 12,000 calories on the run – and found himself feeling hungry for days after crossing the final finish line.

Andy ran for his dad, who passed away last March – a matter of weeks after he was diagnosed with throat cancer.

“He never even got the chance to go to Oxford,” said Andy. “I thought, ‘What better way to honour him than try and get a radiotherapy unit opened here. I know we desperately need it.”

To donate to Brighter Futures, visit: www.brighterfuturesgwh.nhs.uk.