A FORMER couch potato and his family will become the first foreigners to take part in a 5km run in New York after a dramatic transformation since the start of the year.

Mike Titchard weighed nearly 21 stone before seeing an advert for Fit to Tackle – a Livewire and Warrington Wolves foundation course aiming to help people get in shape.

Since then he has exercised regularly and is a weekly player in tag rugby at Orford Jubilee Hub, alongside his weekly 5km park runs.

Mike and his family, of Cowdell Street, Orford, had planned a holiday to New York in October, and as there had been a running joke among the Titchards about Mike jogging in Central Park they decided to run the Get Your Rear Into Gear 5km, since the New York Marathon falls just before their trip.

His daughter Kate only started jogging this month but on October 25 she will run 5km along the banks of the Hudson River.

They will run for St Rocco’s Hospice under the team name The British Are Coming, and you can donate at personalchallenge.everydayhero.com/uk/team-titchard-the-british-are-coming.

Mike said: “At the beginning of the year I was a dedicated 133kg couch potato.

“As regular volunteers at St Rocco's Hospice events we are doing the run to raise funds for them.

“My daughter has recently completed her first 5k run which has taken her from zero to 5km in a couple of months.”