The Geography teacher has a personal best time of 2 hours and 45 minutes in his sights and will be taking on the challenge with his father - a veteran marathon runner.

Mr Fowler, who competed in the 2007 and 2008 marathons, has been running up to 50 miles a week in training for the famous race.

He said: "I really enjoy the whole spectacle of the London Marathon, from the training to the day itself.

"It is a really gruelling race and you do hit a wall around the 24 mile mark, so the way I tackle it is by breaking it into chunks."

The teacher is hoping for a cool day, without rain - as the wet weather often stops spectators from going along to cheer on the runners.

Because of his previous times (his personal best is 2 hours and 52 minutes) he will be one of the first runners to start - just behind the international athletes.

This year Mr Fowler is also raising money for charity, after a neighbour was recently diagnosed with Motor Neurone disease.

Sponsor forms are available at student reception.