A NORTH-EAST lawyer has swapped paperwork for pounding the pavement after committing to a punishing training schedule for a half-marathon – to benefit a charity close to his heart.

Iain Walker, who works for a Middlesbrough-based firm of immigration lawyers, is the first to admit he would have struggled to run for a bus before signing up for the Great North Run.

With the support of his friends and family, the 29-year-old has clocked up more than 300 training miles since April – running for 3,300 minutes, the equivalent of more than two days.

The 29-year-old is aiming to raise more than £1,000 for the MS Society – a charity that has provided support to his mother, Hilary, who has lived with multiple sclerosis for more than 15 years.

Mr Walker, from Sunderland, began with a more modest fundraising target of £400, but has set his sights that bit higher after being overwhelmed by pledges of donations from friends and family.

He said: "I was pretty unfit and didn't do much exercise at all, apart from the odd game of cricket.

"The idea of doing the Great North Run came from a group of friends – who are all fit – and who had signed up for the race in September.

"There were a few comments directed at me along the lines of how funny it would be if I was to do it with them.

"So I decided it would be fun to prove people wrong.

"My inspiration for actually doing it has come from my Mam and to raise money for the MS Society, that's what has kept me going on days when I haven't fancied getting my trainers on for my latest jog.

"It has been tough at times, but I expected it to be, and I have been lucky that I have had some great encouragement from my friend and family and very supportive and understanding training buddies."

Mr Walker will run the race with a group of eight friends, a total of three of them are doing it for the MS Society, while the others are supporting a range of different causes.

Between them, they hope to raise more than £2,000 for charity.

The lawyer's proud mother, Hilary, said: "I am very touched that Iain has done so much training for the run – it's something I never thought he would do, but I think it's great that he has."

Tens of thousands of runners will take part in the Great North Run on Sunday, September 13.

To support Mr Walker, visit justgiving.com/iain-walker5