Fitness expert Joe Wicks has said running the TCS London Marathon with children’s TV character Daddy Pig will be “exhilarating”.
The 40-year-old is the official coach and trainer for Peppa Pig’s father, from the eponymous children’s cartoon, and will run the race alongside him to help raise money and awareness for the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS).
It comes after Daddy Pig decided to take on the challenge after learning that his son, George Pig, is moderately deaf.
Speaking about his decision to train and run alongside Daddy Pig, Wicks told the Press Association: “He’s an icon. He’s an absolute icon.
“He needed a trainer so I am the official coach and trainer of Daddy Pig, but I didn’t just want to give him a plan and just send him on his way.
“I’ve really been there with him and I’m going to be running the race on the day, so that we do it together. We cross the line and we we raise some money for the charity.”
Emphasising the importance of training ahead of a big run, Wicks has helped Daddy Pig build up his fitness by doing three sessions a week including a strength session, interval session and a long run.
He added that the excitement and support for Daddy Pig during the marathon will be the “most exhilarating way of running” and that it will give them the “biggest wave of energy”.
He said: “I just think the cheering and the waving for Daddy Pig is going to be unparalleled because every family knows Peppa Pig and Daddy Pig.
“I think it’s going to be probably the most exhilarating way of running.”
According to the NDCS, more than 54,000 children in the UK are affected by hearing loss, with Daddy Pig aiming to raise £54,000 for deaf children and their families.
Speaking about the importance of the show including stories like George Pig’s, Wicks added: “Obviously this is a storyline around hearing loss and a hearing aid, but there’s children with disabilities and all kinds of things.
“I think it’s just making them feel like it’s okay and that (they’re) not different.
“The money raised is really going to positively impact lives of other children as well.
“It’s nice, it’s a full-circle storyline.”
The fitness coach also encouraged anyone who might be thinking about running a marathon to just “take the first step” and not be afraid to walk for part of it.
He said: “You don’t have to go out and run 10k but you could run for a minute, walk for 30 seconds, and you will cover 10 kilometres.
“It’s that thing of building up and not feeling like you’re a failure because you walk a little bit.
“You don’t have to be this machine that runs the whole thing.
“Just take the first step. Go for a walk or a little 10 minute jog or do something small. It builds your confidence and then you set bigger goals, you can start to achieve more.
“There’s no harm in just having a moment to walk or to catch your breath.”
Wicks added that running long distances is not just physically demanding, but also mental – especially later on in the run.
He said: “It’s just reminding yourself that however hard you think it is, you can get through it and the sense of achievement and the pride and the joy that you have when you cross the line of any race is always an amazing motivator.
“That’s kind of what you got to aim for.”
The fitness expert encouraged runners to get “a good night’s sleep” the night before a marathon and to have a “nice healthy breakfast” on the morning of the run, as well as hydrate the “second you wake up”.
Wicks will be running the marathon on April 26 alongside Daddy Pig with the aim of completing the race in five hours.
Daddy Pig will also run the London Marathon in a special episode of Peppa Pig, which airs on Milkshake on April 18.
