TWO superfit sisters from Wordsley and Kingswinford are getting set to run the London Marathon.

Helen Small and sister Rebecca Carpenter will be pounding the streets of the capital on Sunday April 13 to help raise cash for causes close to them.

Mum-of-two Helen, a special needs teacher and part-time fitness instructor from Wordsley, will be running her second marathon in aid of Dudley's Action Heart charity based at Russells Hall Hospital.

The 42-year-old has already raised around £850 in sponsorship for Action Heart which she described as "such a good charity" but she hopes to push the total to £1,000 by race day.

While 40-year-old Rebecca, a mum-of-three who works as a physiotherapist in the lung function unit at Russells Hall, will be taking part in her first-ever 26-mile event - and she'll be running for for the British Lung Foundation and Birmingham Children's Hospital which has been treating a family friend.

Intent on ticking off one of her life ambitions in her 40th year - she hopes to raise around £500 for the two causes.

The athletic siblings have been training together since January, running along the canal from Wordsley, and they have already successfully completed a 22-and-a-half mile practise run.

However - they won't be able to run the course together as they will be setting off from different start points, as Helen took up a charity place while Rebecca secured a ballot place.

Helen said: "She'll probably be in front of me but I'm hoping to catch her up."

Having finished her first marathon in four hours and 55 minutes, Helen hopes to improve on her last performance - while Rebecca has set herself a target time of five hours to complete the gruelling road race.

Anyone wishing to sponsor the pair can do so via their online webpages.

Helen's is www.virginmoneygiving/HelenSmall - while Rebecca's can be found at www.virginmoneygiving/Rebeccaruns26