A HAMPSHIRE dentist is running three marathons this year in memory of his teenage stepson Luke who died of a heart condition.

Stephen Fellows, 55, is competing in the London Marathon on Sunday, in Chicago in October and then New York in November.

He hopes to raise £5,000 for the Cardiomyopathy Association, a charity offering information and support to families.

The disease of the heart muscle affects people of all ages, can be inherited and is the leading medical cause of sudden death in people under 35.

Luke died just before his 16th birthday in December 2003. He suffered from leukaemia as a toddler and underwent chemotherapy. The treatment saved his life but weakened his heart. The family were told in 1990 that a virus had further damaged the organ, leading to dilated cardiomyopathy - an enlarged heart.

Stephen, who first met Luke when he was three, said: "Luke's joy for life and his total commitment to whatever he did in spite of his handicaps is an inspiration to me."

The dentist who practises in West Street, Alresford, only took up running in 2000, on his 50th birthday. Six months later he had entered and finished his first triathlon.

He said: "I really caught the fitness bug and have since qualified as a fitness and gym instructor. I completed my first London Marathon when I was 51, did more triathlons and a mixed bag of races."

The London Marathon will be Stephen's fifth marathon. He hopes this year's challenges will take his fundraising total to more than £20,000.

He said: "When I am running my thoughts are always with Luke, who will be with me every step of the way."

Meanwhile a Southampton mum of two is set to make her debut in Sunday's London Marathon.

Julie Johnson, 36, is running for Arthritis Care, the largest UK-wide voluntary organisation working with and for people with arthritis.

Julie, who lives in Sholing, has set her sights on raising more than £2,000 for the charity, which supports the estimated nine million people in the UK affected by the condition.

She said: "I have run in two half marathons before, but this will be my first full marathon. I am excited and scared in more or less equal amounts."

Julie has chosen to run for Arthritis Care because it is a charity close to her heart. She knows the toll the condition can take and said: "Arthritis has affected, and still does affect, many members of my family."

See tomorrow's Review in the Daily Echo for an in-depth look at the marathon and those taking part.