A Horley dad with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is to run the London Marathon for a second time.

Vince O’Mahoney, 38, who has been living with MS for 12 years, is to take on the gruelling challenge to raise funds for the MS Society.

He is aiming to raise £1,000 for the charity.

He raised thousands of pounds with his first London Marathon last year and said he can’t wait to do it again.

Vince said: “To be able to run a marathon is amazing. I’m really excited and have a lump in my throat just thinking about it.”

He said: “It means just as much to me personally this year and it means just as much to raise money again for people who are more badly affected by MS than me. “I’m really, really nervous again though, and I don’t often do nerves.”

Vince said it felt like “my world had collapsed in ten seconds” when he was told he had MS. He said he didn’t know much about the condition at the time and thought he would end up in a wheelchair very quickly. He first found out he had MS when he had problems with his eyesight and was sent to an eye hospital, and then a consultant. He described the first few years as very tough, when he had a lot of symptoms including loss of eyesight, tingling, burning sensations and very bad fatigue. He said he now considers himself “very lucky” as the main thing he faces is fatigue and is currently not on any drug treatments. The dad-of-two young children started training in September and said it has been difficult at times. He has had a couple of MS relapses where he has been hit by fatigue, and has also had a virus. But he added: “Over the last few weeks, it’s been perfect, Everything’s fallen into place. “I’m doing four runs a week, two nights in the gym if I can manage it, and then I have a rest day.

“I’m also in a really good place mentally with my preparations.”

He said: “It’s good for me mentally, quite apart from the MS. We think it’s doing me some good as I’m feeling healthier all the time.”

All the money Vince raises will go to the MS Society, the leading UK charity for people with MS. More than 100,000 people are living with the condition in the UK - most diagnosed in their 20s and 30s. People wishing to sponsor Vince's marathon can do so online at: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/VincentOMahoney For more information about the MS Society go to: www.mssociety.org.uk