A DEVOTED son who has raised £5,000 in support of his father who was diagnosed with bowel cancer has praised the support of his loved ones after running 200 miles in ten days.

Ben Reeves has raised the funds for research into the disease and on Saturday, he finished the Southampton Park Run to complete his 200-mile journey and hit his fundraising target.

Ben, who began his run in Chester, is a former Mountbatten School pupil and grew up in Rownhams.

He said: “It was wonderful and I’m so grateful for the support that my family gave me.

“The atmosphere was brilliant and I think about 1,000 people actually ran.

“The weather is nice, but I’m glad it’s hot as I’m finishing so I can enjoy it rather than running through it.”

Ben’s father Alex was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2017. Ben, 29, chose to start his run in Chester, where his father grew up, and finish in Southampton, near to where he lived as a child before moving to London.

In the process of his 200-mile course, Ben has run through 30 towns and cities, and seven different counties.

The marketing manager also ran the ABP Southampton Marathon last month, and said he was glad, despite his challenge, that he didn’t have to start training from scratch.

Ben added: “I keep myself relatively fit so I’m glad I didn’t have to start from square one exactly.

“It wasn’t easy and I have had to have some physio, but to be honest I’m pretty lucky with how well my legs have lasted and handled the runs.

“Finishing this weekend was a pretty special feeling.”

Ben had said that he wanted to raise funds for the disease as bowel cancer can be treated much more easily if it’s diagnosed early.

To donate to Ben’s cause, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Ben-Reeves1188.