A PLUCKY pensioner is determined to complete the Great North Run next month, three years after a cancer diagnosis thwarted his initial pledge.

Jim Dale of Northallerton was diagnosed with prostate cancer three-years-ago at the age of 70 and he planned to take part in the Great North Run to raise awareness of the illness.

However, after undergoing surgery to remove his prostate, further complications meant that Mr Dale was unable to fulfil his pledge that year.

Now, in his 74th year, the retired property maintenance man is fighting fit and looking forward to completing the half marathon in Newcastle on September 9.

He said: “I am feeling great.

“It was three long years of overcoming the problems.

“I used to run years ago and gave it up, but when I got through the cancer I wanted to do something to make myself feel good and raise some money for prostate cancer charity.

“But I still had problems and I lost my place on the run.”

Mr Dale has now fought his way back to fitness and is looking forward to pounding the pavements in aid of Prostate Cancer UK next month.

He said: “74 is rocking on a bit, but I am going to do it and am hoping to do it in around the two-hour mark.

“My last Great North Run was seven years ago and I really enjoyed the atmosphere.

“It will be a lot better than trudging round the streets of Northallerton on my own like I have been doing in training.”

Mr Dale set himself an ambitious fundraising target of £3,000 and he is less than £400 away from reaching that goal.

All proceeds will go to Prostate Cancer UK which aims to cut the number of men dying from the illness by concentrating on radical improvements in diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and support.

Currently in the UK, about one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in their lives.

Older men, men with a family history of prostate cancer and black men are more at risk.

According to the charity, a man dies from the disease every 45 minutes in the UK and it has now overtaken breast cancer to become the third biggest cancer killer in the UK - bowel and lung cancer remain the biggest killers.

Research carried out by the charity published this year revealed that 11,819 men are now killed by prostate cancer in the UK every year.

The charity estimates that it needs to fund around £120 million of research over the next eight years to achieve its 10-year goal of halving the number of expected prostate cancer deaths by 2026.

To support Mr Dale’s Great North Run fundraising, visit justgiving.com