Edward Druce, one of the runners, with his dog

Hill’s Pet Nutrition, which has conducted research proving that people and their pets lose weight and exercise more successfully when they do it together, is proud to announce its sponsorship of a group of super-fit animal lovers, who will be joining the thousands of runners pounding the streets in this year’s London Marathon.

On Sunday 17 April, the five amateur athletes will be aiming to complete the gruelling course to raise money for the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals Development Appeal. They have all been taking to the streets to train for the event for the past few months now and have made sure that they have had their trusty canine companions at their sides throughout.

The runners, who have each pledged to raise at least £1,000, will be sponsored by Hill’s Pet Nutrition, which is committed to encouraging the health and wellbeing of humans as well as their pets.

The Queen Mother Hospital for Animals, based in Hertfordshire, is part of the Royal Veterinary College Animal Care Trust. The Development Appeal will fund the updating of this much-loved hospital which treats pets from across the country with a wide variety of medical needs from emergency cases to cardiac, medical, orthopaedic and dermatological problems

Libby Sheridan, senior veterinary surgeon at Hill’s Pet Nutrition, said of the sponsorship: "The London Marathon is the one of the most high profile events in the sporting calendar and we are proud to be sponsoring a team of runners.

"We firmly believe that human and animal health goes hand-in-hand and were delighted to find out that some of the team have even been training in partnership with their dogs! We are delighted that through our sponsorship we can assist in raising money for this fantastic cause and we wish all the runners the best of luck!"