A Penge man and his dog completed a socially-distant half marathon to raise money for charity after the original event was cancelled due to coronavirus.

Ryan Thomson, 28, was due to run the London Landmark’s Half Marathon last Sunday for eye research charity Fight for Sight.

Determined to make good on his promise to donors, he decided to tackle the distance alongside his dog Rogue, completing the 13 miles in Norfolk where he has been staying with his parents during lockdown.

Ryan said: "I went out alone on Saturday with Rogue to run the 13 miles in lieu of the official event taking place because of how much the cause and support of my wonderful donors meant to me.

"I was extremely vigilant with social distancing and not touching anything while I was out, but the good news is that even with all of Rogue's wee breaks, I still managed to hit my target of finishing in less than three hours!"

Ryan chose to fundraise for Fight for Sight because of his close family connection to sight loss.

His grandmother was left completely blind after a stroke, which left her loss closed her off from the world, greatly affecting her mental health.

Ryan will still be running the official London Landmarks Half Marathon when it happens but has now revised his target to help raise even more money for pioneering eye research.

Community and Events Fundraising Manager at Fight for Sight, Rachel Simkin said: “We are so grateful to Ryan for staying so positive in this difficult time and continuing with his fundraising efforts, while still complying with NHS guidelines and maintaining social distancing.

"It’s through our fantastic supporters sticking by us during this difficult time that we will be able to continue the fight against sight loss.”

To donate to Ryan’s fundraising efforts, you can visit his Just Giving page here.