LOVING parents Dee and Gareth French are putting their best feet forward as they train for the Bupa Great Manchester Run in memory of their son.

The couple, of Shaw Street in Macclesfield, lost their five-month-old son Ted to a rare condition called mitochondrial disease last spring.

Now the pair - who have never run before - are hard in training to complete the famous 10K run to raise both awareness and research funds.

Ted French died from a rare condition called mitochondrial disease

Dee, 28, said: "Ted was absolutely fine until two months old when he suffered hearing loss. After lots of tests at the hospital we found out he had mitochondrial disease, which is life-limiting, and we were told we would lose him but we had no idea of how long we would have with him."

Following Ted's death Dee and Gareth, 29, have channelled their efforts into funding research into the disease at Newcastle University and have already raised more than £2,800 including £1,000 from a huge cake sale last July.

"The university still has his biopsy and this is really close to our hearts. The run this May will be a year since Ted died which is why we decided to do it," said Dee.

"Once the funeral was over with, we needed something to focus on. After the bake sale we needed a new challenge. Neither of us are runners - we've never run before. We are struggling with the training but we're getting there."

The pair - who are both teaching assistants at Park Lane School - train together and plan to cross the finish line together. "We are trying to make Ted as proud of us as possible. I have been beating Gareth till now but he has caught up. He is thinking he will beat me but I will speed up and we will keep together."

Dee said the genetic condition means they may have a 25 per cent chance of passing on the disease to any future children and were worried for daughter

Penny, four. "We have been told it is highly likely she is ok. She is unbelievable and brave about everything."

Dee added: "She thinks our running is quite funny, especially when I come in all red and sweating."

Anyone wanting to help the research can donate at www.justgiving.com/ted-french.