A Crouch End man who nursed his mum through a coronary heart surgery is running the London marathon for Diabetes UK.

Salesman Nipun Sibal knew he had to run the London Marathon, after doctors diagnosed his parents with Type 1 Diabetes.

The 35-year-old watched his parents have 35,000 insulin injections between them.

Ham & High: Nipun SibalNipun Sibal (Image: Nipun Sibal)

Then six years after nursing his GP mother through coronary by-pass surgery Nipun decided to get his running shoes on in his athletic attempt to combat this silent killer.

“When doctors said she had a 30 percent chance of survival, it hit me how serious this condition is, and propelled me to take action.”

“I realised she was really lucky to survive,” he said.

The budding athlete trains three times a week with companions from Crouch End running club and is saving his Adidas Pro 2 trainers for race day on October 3.

“Sunday at 7am is ‘long run day’. We start out at Crouch end clocktower and run all the way to the city. The other guys figure out the route, I just turn up with my gels.”

He plans to top his record gym time of 3 hrs 48 min 28 secs on the big day. He said that with a bit of luck, he will remember to act on his coach’s advice to wear protective nipple covers to avoid painful chafing.

“We cover our nipples during the run with bandages so I always make sure I have a full stock,” he added.

Running partner, Simon Tanner said: “Having trained with Nipun, I know the effort he has put in to running the marathon and it’s a good cause.”

The budding athlete topped 85pc of his £1,200 fundraising target - £997 - within months of signing up, which included a 110 Km cycle from London to Brighton in 6 hrs 30 mins.

This Sunday (Sept 19) he is throwing a Charity BBQ feast at Crouch End Cricket Club from 12 to 3pm. There will be plenty of grilled chicken with live comedy and music from local celebrities.

"I'm creating a chance to sit down and break the isolation from which we've all been suffering," he said.

"There's a 50pc chance of rain but I'm hoping for a beautiful, sunny day and we have a gazebo."

Tickets cost £20. For more information click here.

To donate on his marathon fundraising page visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/nipun-sibal