THREE Okehampton ladies are preparing for the challenge of a lifetime, as they count down to the 2011 London Marathon.

Cathy Carey, Jo Camies and Ali Holliday will run the 26 mile route through the nation's capital on Sunday April 17, and have been training hard over the past few months.

The ladies have been hitting the road with the Okehampton Running Club twice a week, and doing regular long runs at the weekend under the supervision of Julie Clawson from Crediton Women's Running Network.

Ali said: 'The marathon is all we have lived, breathed, eaten over the past few months.

'The training has been hard, but it has certainly worked. This time last year I couldn't run four miles without being exhausted, and I can really feel the benefits of the training.'

In March, the three completed both the Duchy 20 mile run and Bideford Half Marathon.

Jo, receptionist at the Times, said: 'We were all so proud when we finished the Duchy 20, although I never knew it was possible to have so many blisters on your toes.'

Cathy, who had to withdraw from last year's London Marathon due to a stress fracture in her leg, said the training regime had been hard — but fun.

Cathy said: 'It's been brilliant training with my friends. It's made training so much easier and a lot more fun, and has definitely brought us closer together.

'We've got to know each other — and the Granite Way cycle path —very well indeed over the past months.'

The London Marathon holds the Guinness world record for the largest annual fundraising event in the world, and the Okehampton girls have already being doing sterling work for their chosen charities.

Jo and Cathy will run the marathon for premature baby charity Bliss, while Ali will be raising funds for the Devon Air Ambulance, and the three have organised a great number of fundraising events in recent months, including a pub quiz and disco.

Jo said: 'It has been a lot of hard work preparing for the event, but it will all be worth it when we can hand over our sponsorship money to the charities.'