MARATHON man Alan Boothroyd is almost halfway through his astonishing 1,000-mile charity challenge.

Alan, 52, of Lascelles Hall, is aiming to run the equivalent of two marathons a day for 20 consecutive days.

Today is day nine of the punishing 940-mile Land’s End to John O’Groats run.

Lone runner Alan hopes to raise £50,000 for Town’s Keep It Up campaign which splits funds between the club’s Academy and Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Alan yesterday reached Barnsley and was joined by fellow Town fan Andy Kaye who lives in Dodworth.

Speaking to the Examiner as he ran without a hint of breathlessness, Alan said: “It’s all going good so far.

“It’s mentally hard to keep going but physically I am fine – with no blisters.”

Alan’s secret is cold baths, a massage and a good night’s sleep.

On Thursday night he had a massage from Nottingham Forest’s physio which left him in good shape.

Alan was due to hit Huddersfield today with a stop off at Town’s Canalside training base before a lap of honour around the John Smith’s Stadium pitch ahead of the big relegation showdown with Peterborough.

Dad-of-two Andy, 47, who plays cricket for Cawthorne in the Huddersfield League, read about Alan’s exploits on Twitter and said: “I couldn’t let the lad run through Barnsley on his own.

“I’ll run with him for about eight miles and will go into Huddersfield with him.

“But I won’t gatecrash at the stadium. He’s deserved to take that honour on his own.”

To donate go to justgiving/actionman-uk and follow Alan on Twitter at @alanboothroyd1