TravelManagers' director of finance, Grant Campbell hadn't put on his runners for 11 years, unless you count walking to the local cafe for a Sunday paper and his regular latte and croissant. He's the first to admit he'd put on a few kilos and wasn't in the healthiest state.

"If I'm truly honest with myself I don't think in January last year I was even capable of running, I was just carrying too much weight. So I signed up for a Boot Camp and started to shed my spare tyre."

True to his career choice, Mr Campbell is motivated by numbers so not only did he want to become healthier by losing weight, he started to think about running to raise money for a charity. While his ultimate goal is a marathon he says he initially set his sights on last year's 2009 City to Surf.

"This was my first fun run since I did the city to surf in 1998! I wanted to start slowly and ease into it, avoiding injuries and not scaring my body too much."

He then targeted the half marathon that forms part of the Blackmores Sydney Running Festival with the aim of a year later increasing his distance to the marathon.

 "I'm definitely getting fitter and I feel so much healthier plus I've got more energy and drive. My initial half marathon time was two hours, three minutes and 53 seconds and this year (May) I did the SMH half marathon in one hour, 56 minutes, and 32 seconds. It was a great feeling."

Mr Campbell says he is taking it seriously wanting to complete the 42 kilometres, not only for his own personal achievement but particularly to raise money for The Cancer Council of New South Wales.

"They do such a fantastic job funding research to find better treatments, early detection and importantly supporting cancer patients and their families. They are completely independent and rely on the community for fundraising. I really hope people will go online and support this great cause through my fundraising page."

Mr Campbell's goal is to raise $1,000 and run his marathon on 19 September in a time of 4 hours 10 minutes"

To sponsor Grant Campbell, log onto www.gofundraise.com.au/CampbellG#