HE may be an octogenarian, but instead of watching this month’s BUPA Great South Run from the comfort of the sofa, Colin Barrett will be donning his running trainers and taking part.

The 80-year-old from Bournemouth aims to raise hundreds of pounds for Alzheimer’s Research UK in the 10-mile run on October 30.

Colin’s daughter Helen White and her friend Clare Rogers, also from Bournemouth, will join him in his fundraising efforts.

Colin didn’t take up running until the age of 52. Since then he’s taken part in hundreds of running competitions in different parts of the world, including 23 marathons.

He celebrated his 80th birthday on October 1 while visiting family in Australia and they arranged the perfect birthday surprise for him – an 8K run along the Brisbane seafront with over 30 friends and relatives supporting him.

Colin, a retired British Aerospace electrical engineer, said: “I’ve completed the Great South Run several times now. It’s a fantastic course and I’m really looking forward to it.

“But raising money for Alzheimer’s Research UK is a first.

“Since my mother-in-law Elizabeth was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, it’s opened my eyes to the dreadful lack of money for research.

“Running has given me a new lease of life. It even led me to meet my wife Sarah 20 years ago.

“We were both on our way to the New York Marathon.

“Her mother, now 87, would be so proud of her achievements – but no sooner we tell her something, the next instant it’s forgotten.

“Alzheimer’s is such a cruel disease, robbing people of all their precious memories.

“My mother-in-law tried to live independently up until a year ago, but everyday tasks became more and more of a struggle.

“She now lives in a specialist care home near us in Southbourne.

“I’m so pleased to be doing something positive to help Alzheimer’s Research UK fund more vital research and give hope to future generations.”

Colin’s wife, 15 years his junior, is a triathlete and gained a silver medal in the World Triathlon Championships in Beijing this September.

Miranda Mays, community fund-raising manager for Alzheimer’s Research UK, said more than 6,500 people in Dorset are living with dementia, but funding for research lags far behind other diseases.