TWO lifeboat heroes will swap their lifejackets for running vests as they tackle a gruelling 110-mile run to raise funds for the charity.

Dave Scott, a volunteer helmsman at the Redcar RNLI lifeboat station, and Dave Barker, also a helmsman, from St Bees RNLI on the Cumbrian coast, will run the ultra-marathon from Filey, following the Cleveland Way, to finish in Helmsley.

The epic race starts on the morning of Saturday, April 30 and winds through Scarborough, Whitby, Saltburn, Great Ayton and Osmotherley, before the pair are expected to finish on the evening of Sunday, May 1. There is a time limit of 36 hours for the route, which usually takes walkers seven to ten days to complete.

Both men have taken part in ultra-marathons in the past, but this is the greatest challenge they have faced.

Mr Scott said: "We’ve been training really hard for this. We’ve done practice runs by splitting the route in two halves to make sure we know what we’re up against.

"We’ll be running as a team. Supporting each other is going to be really important. Neither of us has run anything like this distance before so we’ll have to keep each other going."

Mr Barker, who works in the nuclear safety industry, took up running to help his girlfriend quit smoking and take up exercise.

Mr Scott works for PD Ports and started running just a few years ago when he took part in the Great North Run.

The pair are hoping to raise £2,000 for the RNLI.

The race coincides with the RNLI’s Mayday appeal, the charity’s annual fundraising event which this year runs from April 26 to May 2.

The charity will be collecting donations from spectators cheering on the riders during the Tour de Yorkshire cycle race on the same weekend.

Businesses are also being encouraged to get involved in Mayday fundraising by holding sponsored events, such as "wear your wellies to work day", or become a corporate partner.

Anyone wanting to help out in collecting donations can email fundraising@rnli.org.uk or call 0300-300-9908.

To sponsor Mr Scott and Mr Barker's running challenge by donating to the RNLI visit their JustGiving page www.justgiving.com/Lifeboat-daves/