A MARATHON runner who has raised more than £5million for charities is preparing to carry the Olympic torch this evening (Wednesday).


Lloyd Scott, 50, of Coppice Row, Theydon Bois, is set to carry the iconic deep sea divers’ helmet he is known for completing marathons while wearing along with the torch in Turnpike Lane, Haringey, at about 6.15pm.


“Thankfully, in this heat, I’m not wearing the full suit, but the organisers are allowing me to carry the helmet,” he said.


“I was working at a charity in Haringey when I was nominated over a year ago.”


In his latest fundraising stunt, Mr Scott, who is a fishmonger in Loughton Morrison’s and also works at a school in Leytonstone, completed the route of the Olympic  marathon in the heavy suit.


He ran his first marathon three weeks before receiving life-saving surgery for leukaemia and carried on with his challenges during the following years, including an underwater marathon in Loch Ness and walking from Land’s End to John O’Groats with a giant dinosaur model.

“I’m looking forward to this and it’s nice I’m only doing 390 yards, so it’s almost like a sprint for me,” he said.

Olympic decathlon champion Daley Thompson is set to carry the Olympic torch to Alexandra Palace on the last leg of today’s relay.

Click here to follow the Epping Forest Guardian on Twitter