MANY people will never run a half marathon in their entire lives.

However, five intrepid children have already embarked on their first as they look to raise money for charity.

Five-year-old Tegan Wallis and her two-year-old brother Archie will be joined by their cousins Mason, four, Taylor, two, and their second cousin three-year-old Finley Ellis, as they complete the 13-mile challenge to raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association. They decided to take on the challenge after their great-grandmother, Cherry Reed, 60, was diagnosed with the illness.

Accompanied by their family, the youngsters are covering the distance over three weeks, in one mile sections.

“We’ve already done a couple of miles with them and they’re doing really well,” said Sharon Wallis, 48, of Haydon Wick, the step-daughter of Cherry and grandmother to four of the children.

“They all have plenty of energy and are always keen to go out. The children all love it.

“We aren’t going out every evening though so they can have some time to recover.”

The children are setting off from Sharon’s home in Haydon Wick each time they head out and walk a route around the area.

She said: “We have managed three miles so far so things are going well.”

They will finish the half marathon at the Haydon Wick Working Men’s Club on June 1, hopefully in the afternoon, and have invited anyone who wants to offer their support to come down. If Cherry is fit the family is hoping she will be able to do the final mile with them.

So far the children have raised more than £600 from friends and family as well as people who have seen the children walking about.

Sharon said: “They have all been wearing t-shirts with the charity’s logo on. As we’ve been walking around a lot of people have stopped and asked what they are doing and giving donations.”

Motor Neurone Disease is a neurological illness that affects a sufferer’s voluntary muscle movement. It is not known what causes the disease and is very often fatal within 14 months of diagnosis.

“Cherry is very proud of all the little ones and is touched by what the family is doing,” said Sharon.

“The Motor Neurone Disease Association has been really good in providing care and support so we wanted to do something in return.”

A spokesperson for the charity said: “A huge thank you to the family for supporting the Association.

“As a charity we rely almost entirely on donations. The funds they raise will make a real difference to the lives of people affected by Motor Neurone Disease.”