RAINHILL runner Helen Moore will be pounding the streets of Manchester on Sunday - and all in aid of a cause close to her heart.

The 49-year-old Widnes Wasp is running the Asics Greater Manchester Marathon to support the Dwarf Sports Association for a Team GB kit when they compete at the World Dwarf Games in Canada this August.

Gift Aid included she’s already exceeded her £600 target.

Helen said: “It’s my first full marathon and I’m a bit apprehensive about running but I’ve had the other girls as my support team in training and I’m sure they’ll help me to cross the finish line.

Helen’s 12-year-old daughter Samantha was born with Achondroplasia, the commonest form of dwarfism.

“A chance meeting whilst I was running introduced me to the Dwarf Sports Association and Samantha now competes in swimming and track and field events,” Helen explained.

“Samantha loves competing – swimmer Ellie Simmonds is a friend – and she has not let her short stature hold her back.”

She will be joined in Manchester by fellow Wasp Nicola Daley, 49, from Prescot, who will also help raise funds for the Dwarf Sports Association.