IT’S THE same day and distance as the London Mara-thon – but there the similarity ends.

The challenge being undertaken by Mark Bardsley from Poole and Jaine Logan in London on April 22 is altogether different.

While others will be jogging through the streets, they will be splashing 26.2 miles along the River Thames in a double kayak.

The gruelling Kayakathon is the third to be held and they will paddle from Tower Bridge to Chiswick Bridge and back as a group, in the six-hour event.

Last year the paddlers raised more than £22,000 for 42 charities and passed under Tower Bridge as runners crossed above, to the cheers of the crowd.

Mark, 43, and Jaine, 47, have both suffered brain injuries and have been helped by the Headway charity in Poole, for whom they are raising money.

While Mark, who suffered his injury in a motorcycle collision with a car nearly three years ago, has taken part twice before, he is training Jaine, who has not kayaked for years.

“Officially it’s going to be really hard going – but it is an absolute doddle,” he said. “The river is surprisingly lumpy under some of the bridges. A couple capsized last year and had to be fished out by rescue boat.”

Jaine, who lives at Burley in the New Forest suffered multiple strokes, including a major one when she was 39, and has had to relearn much, including how to speak.

“I have kayaked before but it was a long time ago, before my stroke,” she said. “It was sold to me as a unique way to see London, a pageant on the river at the same time as the London Marathon.”

Kerry Williams, community development worker at the charity said: “We are really proud of them at Headway Dorset. The paddle will probably take them about six hours and is pretty amazing considering where they were following their brain injuries.”

So far they have raised around £2,000 and received generous donations from Troika, Sunseeker and Siemens while Windtek gave them a bouyancy aid.

They can be sponsored at justgiv ing.com/Mark-Jaine-Kayakathon-for-Headway and justgiving.com/ Jaine-Logan