Readers of The Herald in Plymouth are to get a unique view of the city’s half marathon – when editor Bill Martin runs the course wearing a head-mounted camera.

Bill Martin, (39), will make short film of the race from a competitor’s perspective and post it on the Herald’s website, bringing the event to life.

He will be one of 4,500 runners competing in the race on Sunday.

He said: “It’s a way of recording a personal battle, while others are engaged in their own personal battles around me.

“Everyone’s experience of a marathon is different.”

Bill has competed in the Plymouth Half Marathon several times before. In 2000 he ran the London Marathon and since then he has also completed the notoriously hilly Cornish Marathon.

In 2005 Bill was part of a team which completed a 180-mile trek, walking from Land’s End to Plymouth along the South West Coast Path.

He said: “My best time for Plymouth is one hour 33 mins, but I was very fit then. I reckon one hour 55 mins would be satisfactory this time round.”

The material from Bill’s camera will then be edited down to create a unique piece of video journalism.

The state of the art head-mounted cameras are distributed by Plympton-based company Audax Business Consultancy Ltd and have been endorsed by the police and the Ministry of Defence.

Defence reporter Tristan Nichols used the camera to report from Sierra Leone, and said Bill should have no problems using the equipment on his run.

He said: “It allows the viewer to see exactly what you see. It’s unobtrusive and comfortable, perfect for giving an insight into whatever you’re doing.”