WHEN Brunel came running in to Swindon town centre it certainly turned a few heads.

And Rod Hebden, who had taken on the guise of the great Briton, is hoping that it will also encourage people to sponsor him when he tackles the London marathon in aid of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust next month.

There's just one problem - the 29-year-old isn't the keenest of athletes.

"I'm not a runner at all," said Rod, who is a development officer at the Science Museum, "I entered the Swindon half-marathon in October and it nearly killed me. Now I'm getting up at 6.45am every day to run nine miles into work.

"And I've had to knock the pie and chips on the head.

"I'm not sure which is harder."

To raise awareness of his fundraising campaign, Rod, of Moredon, ran from Wootton Bassett to Swindon dressed in stovepipe hat and formal jacket.

"I wasn't looking forward to it, but everybody was beeping their horns and being really enthusiastic which was nice," he said. "And I have to say thank you to Skywalkers for loaning me the costume free of charge."

Rod was inspired to run the 26.2 miles for the CF Trust after his friend Kathy Hennell from Leicester died from the disease last year aged 33.

"Before I met Kathy I had no idea what Cystic Fibrosis was," he said.

"I just wanted to do something that would help other people like her."

He has to raise £2,000 to take part in the event and is already well on the way with more than £1,400 in the bank.

Rod has his sights on bigger things, though, and wants to raise £5,000 and is looking for a company to match-fund his donations. If he raises that amount, Rod will then run the marathon in Brunel clobber.

As the hour of reckoning draws closer, Rod is the first to admit he is not looking forward to lining up on the start line.

"I'm dreading it," he said.

"And after this is I have no intention of ever running again. People say you get a buzz out of it but you don't. You just get pain.

"But it is something I've always thought would be a nice thing to do and I don't think I could have got out of it this year.

"As long as I finish it I don't care how long it takes me."

Anybody who wants to support Rod by sponsoring him can do so by logging on to www.justgiving.com/rodsmarathon Alternatively, send a cheque, made payable to the C F Trust, to Rod at the Science Museum, Wroughton, SN4 9NS.