Jane Tomlinson family in double marathon bid

Mrs Tomlinson, who died in September 2007 aged 43, inspired thousands of people with her charity challenges while battling against terminal cancer.

She raised more that £1.85 million in seven years, despite her pain and illness, and the family have continued to raise funds for her charity, the Jane Tomlinson Appeal, since her death.

Now her husband Mike, 50, of Rothwell, West Yorkshire, and daughter Rebecca, 23, of Tooting, south London, are planning to run this year’s Paris and London marathons, cycling the distance between them.

They will be joined by a team of cyclists as they take on a 100 mile-a-day route between the capitals.

After tackling the French run on April 15, they will cycle to Zeebrugge in Belgium. From there they will get the ferry to Hull and travel through the appeal’s home turf of Yorkshire, before arriving in London ahead of its marathon on April 22.

Mr Tomlinson said: “I still struggle to comprehend the endurance feats Jane completed and the starting point was the 2002 London Marathon.

“The aim was to raise £5,000 and here we are 10 years and £4 million later.

“More than the money, Jane helped people change lives and to celebrate this we wanted to celebrate the anniversary in appropriate fashion.

“So it’s not a black knees-up but a strength-sapping endurance challenge. With a new tub of chamois cream and the bike out of mothballs, we’ll be testing body and spirit.

“Let’s hope Jane’s spirit sees me through.”

Mrs Tomlinson was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1990 and had a mastectomy and lymph nodes removed from under her arm.

The cancer returned in her breast in 1993 and spread to her lungs and bones in 2000, when doctors told her she only had months to live.

But Mrs Tomlinson, an NHS radiographer, defied the experts and spent the next seven years raising money for charity through challenges including marathons, triathlons, the Iron Man contest, a tandem cycle ride from Rome to Leeds and a bike ride across America, from San Francisco to New York.

She was awarded the MBE for her work in June 2003 and later made a CBE.