A man from Frodsham is preparing to tackle a gruelling obstacle course in memory of his wife later this year.

Peter Causton will compete in Hell Up North, part of the Brooks HellRunner Series, to raise money for The Christie hospital in Manchester – where his wife Claire received treatment for cancer – and Melanoma UK at Delamere Forest on November 1.

Peter has taken part in HellRunner events – which consist of 10 to 12 miles of challenging off-road running – every year since Claire passed away in 2008 and this year is no exception.

He said: “Unfortunately my wife had advanced melanoma and died when our second child was only eight months old. This tragic situation encouraged me to raise money and do my bit to help find a cure and improve treatment.

“She went through hell and nothing I do could equate to that, but I figure that an hour or so of my own hell is worthwhile to raise money, to give a bit of heaven back to those suffering with skin and other cancers.”

Peter will be supported by his partner and sons, who will be taking part in the Little Devils Fun Run.

Although Peter is already training, it isn’t going quite as well as he planned due to a new arrival in his family keeping him occupied.

Peter added: “I’m not looking forward to the Lake of Lucifer! The cold really is hell! I’m looking forward to the day though – Our boys enjoy watching me going through the Bog of Doom. It has become an annual tradition.”

Race organiser Paul Magner said: “I wish Peter and all our other runners the best of luck for their Hell Up North challenge. We’ve been coming to Delamere Forest for the last eight years and are never disappointed with the fantastic terrain and welcome we get.

“As usual, we’ll have our usual challenges interspersed across the terrain, but we also like to keep something up our sleeve.

“So, a little warning to Peter and anyone else thinking about giving it a go, don’t be surprised to come across something new when you take to the start this year.”