A FATHER who completed a second 100 mile run in aid of his daughter's dietary condition completed the race almost five hours faster than his first attempt - which was only 12 months ago.

Ian Spriggs, of Brampton, took part in the Thames Path 100 - a 100-mile marked point to point race, which takes runners from Richmond in South West London to the centre of Oxford - for the second consecutive year on May 4.

Mr Spriggs takes part in various running events to raise money and awareness for PKU - a condition his daughter Molly has. PKU prevents the person from eating high protein foods such as cheese, meat, poultry, eggs and milk.

The only way of managing the condition in the UK is a low protein diet, which means the sufferer has to supplement their diet with artificial protein.

Since his last attempt at the run last July, Mr Spriggs has lost three stone, which helped him to complete the race in 20:45:45. Last year he completed it in 25:33:45.

Each time he embarks on a run he raises money and awareness for The National Society for Phenylketonuria (NSPKU), which supports people with PKU and their families.

NSPKU is continuing the fight for the drug Kuvan to be available on the NHS. The drug - which is available in other parts of the world but not the UK - can expand the diet of those who respond positively.

So far the NHS has refused to fund the drug for cost reasons.

From the 2019 Thames Path 100, Mr Spriggs has raised £460, which takes the total raised this year to £1,500.

"This year it was nowhere near as hot," explained the 52-year-old.

"There were a few showers. It went perfectly well. My main problem is staying too long at checkpoints.

"There were times when I delayed for five minutes, but it all worked out perfectly well."

Mr Spriggs continued: "This year (overall) I have raised far more, fundraising is going well.

"We now have Mr (Rory) Stewart (MP for Penrith and the Border) on board, he has joined a parliamentary pressure group to help where he can."

He added that the recent approval of Spinraza on the NHS - a drug that could prolong the lives of children with a rare muscle-wasting disease - gives him hope that Kuvan may soon be approved.

To find out more about NSPKU, visit www.nspku.org.

To donate to Ian’s run, visit http://bit.ly/2W1lm1C.

To view the petition to fund Kuvan on the NHS, go to http://bit.ly/2Vh9LyJ.