Whitehead, who has two prosthetics after being born without the lower part of his legs, established himself as a sporting icon for all that he achieved as an athlete dubbed ‘Britain’s bladerunner’.

He is the marathon man who turned into a sprint star after he was told his classification would not feature in the long distance events at his home Paralympics in 2012.

He spent the best part of the decade after that challenging for, and often winning, the biggest prizes on offer over 100m and 200m.

But it is over 26.2 miles that Whitehead continues to go strong at the age of 48.

He has completed three marathons in 2025 already, taking his overall tally to 83, and has a packed schedule of races ahead of him to get to the milestone century later this year.

“I’ll be travelling all over the world to significant places that have supported me or I’ve competed at in the past,” Whitehead said.

“And then delivering by not just running 26 miles, but also delivering a performance that I’m proud of but also, hopefully, showcases who I am as a person from Nottingham, East Midlands and Great Britain.

“But also highlights disability to people that may have never seen it before.

“Hopefully it challenges that anything is possible in life. If you believe you can achieve massive things.”