On Saturday, June 12, John plans to run 26.2 miles around East Hill, finishing the last leg on Sidmouth seafront.
John will be running for CRY, a charity which he says is “close to my heart”.
He first became aware of the charity’s work following the death of a fit young Sidmouth man, Jonathan Hayman, who had an undiagnosed heart condition.
John himself was also diagnosed with a heart condition. John said: “It was time to step away from running after a long-standing heart condition made it increasingly difficult for me to run. “I do have mixed emotions about this stage of my ‘running career’. I will miss the banter of the group running – but getting slower is also a feature of ageing!
The charity’s work resonated with him as their screening work is very important in diagnosing treatable cardiac conditions in the young. 
For his last run, John is hoping to be sponsored £100 a mile, raising £2,620 in total, and says he is keen for people to join him for a few yards or even the whole distance.
Debbie Ellis, the proprietor of 14 Miles East café, is donating two £50 vouchers, redeemable at the café for the person who guesses the finishing time of John’s marathon.
John, who has to date run four marathons with his best time of 2hrs 38mins recorded at the London Marathon in 1990, said: “I am grateful for people sponsoring me at and who will attempt to guess the time it will take me to complete. Please state the guess in hours, minutes and seconds (not days!).”
I am the only person to have run all 20 of the 4 Trigs Challenge, finishing first on two occasions – an event that raises money for Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) to support local screening.”
In 2003, John was part of a small group of runners who helped establish.
To support John’s last run go to: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/JohnKeast1
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