Ref. 28611-72Freight train driver Martin Davis found breaking his thumb was a life-changing moment.

Faced with the thought of sitting at home eating biscuits until he could return to work, he put on a pair of trainers and started pounding the streets of Swindon.

He lost more than 5st and became a marathon runner.

Now he, along with five other amateur athletes, has been chosen to form a London Marathon team of runners for Nike.

The programme being run for Nike's Team Bowerman named after founder Bill Bowerman includes an intensive training camp in Athens this weekend.

Martin, 29, of Kingshill Road, was selected by Running Fitness magazine from thousands of people and was stunned when he heard the news.

Three years ago he had piled on the weight until he reached 16st because his job involved sitting at the engine controls for most of his shift.

But, within weeks of going out on his first run, the weight had started to drop off.

For fun, he tried the Calne 10k race and enjoyed it so much he tried to enter the London Marathon in 2001.

"I thought it was a natural progression," he said.

He did not manage to get in but the following year he did, and completed it in a respectable time of 3hrs 11mins, raising money for Shelter.

The following year he was planning to beat that time.

"I was aiming for 2hrs 55 mins but I tripped and twisted my knee," he said.

"I had to both walk and run the rest of the way."

Now, with the help of the training programme and advice Nike is giving, he has a target time of 2hrs 50mins.

He is running about 70 miles a week often at strange times.

His shifts, working for EWS, at Didcot, can mean he gets home in the early hours and a run at 4am is not unusual.

"Sometimes I come home and I have to force myself to go out again," he said

When the marathon date arrives on April 18 he and his brother Anthony, 27, will both be lining up at the start.

Anthony, who also works on the railway as a shunter, took up running after seeing how it improved Martin's fitness.

Anthony is going to be raising cash for VICTA, a charity that helps visually impaired children.

This year Martin is not raising money for a cause and, once the race is over, he has only has a few hours to relax before he jets off on a holiday to Australia.

"I booked it before I knew I'd been accepted," he said.

"I'm hoping to spend a few hours in the hotel spa during the afternoon to recover."