Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph photographer Michael Jones is set to run the London Marathon - with his every move tracked by thousands of the paper's readers.

The 40-year-old snapper has been busy training for the event on April 18, and has also been reporting on his progress in a weekly column in the Evening Telegraph.

Michael (pictured) said: "I've had a fantastic response to the column. I asked my editor, David Penman, if we could do a story to raise awareness, and he suggested a weekly column.

"I do the occasional theatre review and the column has been a fantastic opportunity and a real challenge.

"It has been a great motivator, having to fill a blank space every week."

This month's race will be Michael's second London Marathon, after previously completing the 26.2 mile course in a time of five hours and 24 minutes in 2001.

And he is hoping that second time around, he might be able to cross the finish line in under five hours.

He said: "I know how much it is going to hurt, so I am treating the event with a bit more respect this time.

"It's easy to underestimate how hard it is - I think the word 'marathon' has become romanticised.

"But the atmosphere is fantastic and you get a tremendous amount of encouragement along the way. There is a real feeling of achievement to run the same course as some of the top runners in the world."

Michael is also hoping the event will allow him to raise money for the MS Society - a charity close to his heart as he has a friend who has Multiple Sclerosis.

His fundraising is already going well, with the Evening Telegraph and parent-company Johnston Press pledging to match the first £500 he raises, and he is hoping that the final tally will exceed this.