Businessman joins top chef in marathon run for Dispossessed

A London businessman has become the first to sign up to run this year's London marathon with leading chef Michel Roux Junior in aid of the Standard's Dispossessed Fund.

Richard Dickinson, 50, the boss of marketing agency New West End Company, has begun training for his fourth marathon.

He said: "The Dispossessed Fund has done an excellent job in highlighting the problems that face the capital. Training is going well though with each year that goes by it becomes a bit more painful."

He hopes to complete the 26.2 miles in about three hours 30 minutes. He will run at roughly the same pace as Roux, head chef at Mayfair restaurant Le Gavroche and presenter of TV's MasterChef.

Roux, 50, has competed in more than a dozen marathons around the world and several times in the London race. Among the 30,000 taking part will be a team of Evening Standard runners.

Readers with places can join in a training run with Roux if they agree to run in aid of the Dispossessed campaign.

The training run will take place in Hyde Park shortly before the marathon on Sunday, April 17. A meal for two at Roux at Parliament Square is offered to the Standard reader who raises the largest sum for the Dispossessed.

The fund has raised £5 million to help fight poverty in London. Roux is also raising funds for a charity called VICTA, of which he is a patron.

To sponsor Roux, visit uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/standard. To run for the Dispossessed Fund, contact mmolloy@communityfoundations.org.uk