A determined Old Girl is taking part in the historic London Marathon on Sunday to raise money for the blind.

Beth McNulty, who is currently studying law at Exeter University, has so far collected £500 of her £1,900 target for the Royal National Institute of Blind People.

She will join more than 50,000 runners, including BBC Radio 2 presenter Chris Evans and pop band Scouting for Girls, at the start line this weekend.

The 21-year-old from Monmouth said: “It has always been a goal of mine to run a marathon and when the opportunity came up, I jumped at it.

“I have been trying to run several times a week, with one long run at the weekends. I have reached 20 miles in my training, which was challenging!

“I’ve always enjoyed running and use it to de-stress.”

Beth knows a number of people affected by sight loss and has raised money for RNIB and the Guide Dogs Association through several charity events.

She added: “I’m most looking forward to the atmosphere and knowing that everyone is there for the same goal – to raise money for great causes.

“I would like to complete the marathon in four and a half hours, but as long as I finish I will be happy.”

Click here to help Beth reach her fundraising target

A huge amount of preparation goes into the race, with organisers facing a huge logistical challenge in order to have the event run smoothly.

Here are some interesting facts and figures ahead of this year’s London Marathon:

• 40,000 finishers’ medals will be handed out for the main race
• 1,263 portable toilets will line the course, with an additional 400 urinal bays at the start
• 300 litres of blue paint will line the course
• 50,000 metres of barriers will be used
• 7,000 marshals will be present
• 1,200 St Jon Ambulance volunteers will be on hand
• 300 stretchers will be ready to be used
• 750,000 bottles of Buxton mineral water will be distributed, with 149,100 bottles of Lucozade Sport being handed out during the race
• More than 5,000 rubbish bags are filled after the race
• About 20 per cent of runners write a blog – 7,200 of them in all
• The oldest man running this year is Kenneth Jones at 83. He has run every London Marathon
• 173 runners will be taking part on their birthday