AROUND the British Isles in 80 races - that's the tough task facing Dave King who continues on his ambitious project in York in two weeks time.

King will be competing in the Brass Monkey Half Marathon on January 21 which is based at York Racecourse and is organised by Knavesmire Harriers.

Around 1,200 runners from all over the country are expected to take part in the race which sold out within two weeks of entries being opened last September.

The 13-milers will be the sixth race in the series for King, who kicked off the challenge with a 2km Midnight Run which starts at 11.57pm in the Derbyshire town of Milford.

Competitors literally ran into the New Year, and at the finish King jumped into a car to sprint down to Cornwall to take part in the Brown Willy Six race on Bodmin Moor on New Year's Day.

That has set the template for a mammoth adventure which includes races the length and breadth of the British Isles - in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

"I can't wait for the challenge," said King, who is a 43-year-old journalist based in Southampton, Hampshire.

"I've been planning this for well over a year now. I love running, but I am so looking forward to racing in different places, meeting some of the characters who are a feature of the sport, and to have some fun."

During this year, King will be competing in big showpiece races such as the London Marathon plus the Great North Run. Also lined up are fearsome sounding events such as The Terminator and The Grizzly, historical events such as the Blaydon Races in Newcastle and the Braemar Highland Games near Aberdeen, as well as the downright silly.

For this, King will be participating in the Cheese Rolling Challenge in Gloucestershire, and he will even be dressing up as a banana for the Chiquita Bananaman Challenge.

The 12-month project finishes where it started at Milford in Derbyshire on December 31.

The point of the challenge, which King has called "Running Is A Mug's Game" is to write a book, but also to raise money for the Hampshire Autistic Society and awareness of autism generally.

"I have a nine-year-old son who is severely autistic, and although there has been a lot written about autism I want to bring the disability into focus by raising awareness," added King, who is being supported in the venture by sportskit manufacturers Asics, and the airline Flybe.