A CHIRK man is refusing to let disability stop him from becoming the first Welsh man with Down’s syndrome to run the London Marathon.

Michael Benyon, who also has visual impairment and a muscle condition called hypertonia, is taking on the iconic 26.2-mile route with his girlfriend, Ffion Edwards, in October.

The 26-year-old is travelling to the English capital to take on the challenge to raise money for Mencap – the leading disability charity in the UK, for which he ran the virtual marathon in Chirk last year.

Michael is excited to complete the course and to see what London has to offer.

He said: “I’m excited to get the chance to run in London this year. I’m excited to see the famous landmarks along the way.

“This year I’m running with my girlfriend, Ffion, who also has a learning disability. She didn’t use to run before but changed her mind when she saw me take part in the virtual marathon last year.

“I want to give back for all the support I have had. I want to raise as much money as I can for Mencap”.

Despite his family being warned by doctors that Michael was likely to need a wheelchair for the rest of his life, he refuses to let disability stop him in his tracks.

Ffion, 33, joined Michael for half of last year’s virtual marathon. She was inspired by Michael to train for this year’s marathon and wanted to help him achieve his dream of completing the run.

She said: “I decided to run for Mencap because of all the hard work they have done with people with a learning disability.

“I ran part of the virtual London Marathon with Michael last year because he is my friend and I wanted to help him achieve his dreams. I really enjoyed it, it was fun.

“I loved seeing all the people supporting us and cheering us on. I like being outside running with my friends and I like winning medals.”

Michael and Ffion met at the Mencap community café in Ammanford 10 years ago, where she works after being supported to prepare and serve food.

Every penny raised by the pair, and other Mencap runners, will go towards funding Mencap’s life-changing programmes, which aim to tackle stigma and help people with a learning disability lead happy and healthy lives.

To support Michael and Ffion, visit https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/michaelBeynon1 and https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/FfionEdwards2