A MAN is to travel across the globe to tackle a 58 mile ultra marathon.

Rob Davies, from Mold, will be leaving the comfort of his home to fly to South Africa in preparation for a gruelling challenge that starts on June 10.

Rob, 59, will be competing in the Comrades Ultra Marathon, also known as the Ultimate Human Race, a road race with a distance of 58 miles (90.1km).

The race starts at Pietermaritzburg and ends in Durban in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province.

The race has to be completed in 12 hours, starting at 5.30am where the temperatures can be close to freezing and rising to a possible 25c as the day progresses.

The terrain is very hilly, meaning an already extremely challenging race is made even tougher.

Mr Davies said: “Family, friends and colleagues know that I 'run a bit', or should I say 'a lot'. I have been fortunate enough, privileged even, to be able to complete 48 marathons, across Wales, England, Ireland, France and Germany but this is by far my biggest challenge to date.”

He started his training in December which typically involves 8 to10 hours running weekly alongside strength and conditioning in the gym.

Rob is running the 94km Comrades Ultra Marathon for two charities, Nightingale House Hospice in Wrexham and also St Kentigern Hospice in St Asaph.

He added: “Through family and friends, I have witnessed the wonderful care Nightingale House Hospice provides at the most difficult times.

“A real challenge is one we plan, dream, and work very hard for and even then there is no guarantee of success. With your sponsorship, best wishes and prayers, then I will give this my all, and hopefully raise some valuable funding. Thank you for your support “

To donate to the cause visit Rob's Just Giving pages, for Nightingale House Hospice - www.justgiving.com/fundraising/nhh18 and St Kentigern Hospice - www.justgiving.com/fundraising/st-k