From left to right: Lt. Andy Ryan, Capt Dan Conlon, Capt Andy Snell, Lt. Paul Cooper, Lt. James Ballard.

A major change of scenery awaits eight soldiers from Tidworth who have swapped marathon venues from the heat and dust of Iraq for the hopefully more benign weather of Wiltshire as they prepare to tackle the Salisbury marathon on 12 August.

The servicemen are all from the Tidworth based 1^st Battalion, The Staffordshire Regiment and services charities hope to gain once again from their efforts. Why? Because last March while serving at the Shat Al Arab Hotel in Basra,  Captain Dan Conlon, Captain Tim Woodall and Lieutenant James Ballard took on the 26 mile challenge and raised £2,500 for the British Limbless Ex-Servicemen's Association, (BLESMA).

Joining the three March runners will be Private Karl Hinett who was seriously injured in Iraq in 2005 during the Jameat riots. But Salisbury is not his first marathon since he received burns in his flaming Warrior armoured vehicle. He has already successfully completed the London marathon and is planning an assault on the New York run in November.

The other runners competing at Salisbury are; Major Richard Hoy, Major Dom Rutherford, Captain Andy Snell, Lieutenant Andy Ryan and Lieutenant Paul Cooper.