A KENDAL woman will become a real-life superhero for a second time when she runs the London Marathon for a charity that helped to save her brother’s life.

Gina Pennington, 39, will dress up as Wonder Woman to run the world-famous event next month in support of blood cancer charity the Anthony Nolan Trust.

It marks the tenth anniversary of her first London Marathon run.

As Gina explained: “I ran the marathon dressed as Wonder Woman when I was 30, so I thought it was the perfect way to celebrate turning 40.

“My brother had leukaemia when he was younger, which was devastating for our family. The doctors told us that his only chance at life was to have a bone marrow transplant.

“Fortunately, my sister was able to donate to him. I found out afterwards that 70 per cent of people aren’t as lucky as my brother – they can’t find a match within their family, so Anthony Nolan help to find them an anonymous match.

“I’m running the marathon for Anthony Nolan because they help to save people like my brother.”

Gina runs the event on April 21, just three months before her 40th birthday.

She added: “Training is going well and I’m looking forward to getting my WonderWoman outfit out again. I know that my brother is really proud of everything I’m doing, which is a huge motivation.”

Rebecca Highfield, Events Co-ordinator at the Anthony Nolan Trust, says, ‘It’s incredible that Gina is running the marathon for us.

'Fund-raising is essential for the work that we do. It costs £100 to recruit each person on to the bone marrow register so the more money Gina raises, the more people we can add to the register and the more lives we can save.’

People can sponsor Gina by visiting www.justgiving.com/Gina-Pennington