Dental hygienist Melanie Taylor takes on her first marathon on Sunday, after an absence from running of about three years.

Ms Taylor, 39, of Elliott Court, Devizes, has run half marathons before but this is her first 26-mile outing.

Ms Taylor, a hygienist at High Street Dental Clinic and the Market Place Dental Practice in Devizes, said: “This will be my last marathon. I wasn’t quite prepared for how much dedication it needed and I was quite unfit and started from scratch.”

She has run up to 15 miles in training and said a boot camp helped improve her fitness.

She said: “The boot camp was eight hours of exercise every day for a week. It included uphill runs so when I returned home and ran on the flat it felt so much easier.”

Ms Taylor is hoping to complete the marathon in five hours.

She has so far raised £1,000 towards her target of £1,500 for the charity United Response, which works with people who have learning difficulties, mental health needs and physical disabilities. Donations can be left at the dental practices or online at http://virginmoneygiving.com/MelTaylor