IT'S fifth time lucky for business development manager Danny O’ Boyle, who has at last secured a place on the start line of this year's London Marathon.

The Virgin Money sponsored event on Sunday, April 26, is the the third largest running event in the UK after Newcastle-upon-Tyne’s Great North Run and the Great Manchester Run and

Mr O'Boyle, who works for Worcester technology company Postcode Anywhere, will be among 36,000 professional and amateur runners expected to participate. He will be in good company as Paula Radcliffe, who has not competed in the event for nine years, will be running her final marathon this year.

Mr O'Boyle's determination to enter has paid off as he has applied to participate for five consecutive years and this year he has managed to secure a place. He is running to raise money for the National Autistic Society.

He said: "“I’ve set myself a target of four and a half hours which is fairly ambitious, but I would be happy if I could complete the race in five hours. My friends, family and colleagues at Postcode Anywhere have been fantastically supportive which has given me inspiration to want to do my very best.”

His wife Michelle took part in the 2012 event and has shared some tips with her husband on how to survive the challenges of the physically demanding race. Mr O'Boyle, who is hoping to raise £1,000 for the National Autistic Society said: “I understand that no matter how hard you train there are some aspects of the event that are beyond your control, for example the weather and the volume of the crowd. Running among a dense crowd can be both terrifying and inhibiting.”

He isn’t just leaving it to chance as in March he will be participating in the Silverstone Half Marathon which takes place on the 15th at the famous motor racing circuit. He added: "It will be a good practise run and more importantly I will gain the experience of running under the extreme conditions of a well-attended race. “

To sponsor Mr O'Boyle visit: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/DannyOBoyle