PLYMOUTH Albion and Cornwall back Matt Shepherd will prove how fit he is by running a half marathon next month.

Shepherd will take advantage of a blank weekend to run the Bath Half Marathon on March 13 for charity with his partner Ellie Crowie.

The pair are raising money for Guide Dogs – a cause close to their hearts.

Ellie lost her sight for a short spell at 17 years-old due to an infection. Fortunately, after a hospital stay, she regained her sight and now runs a dog grooming business in St Austell.

“My girlfriend wanted to run for Guide Dogs, so I just decided as it was a weekend without a game I would give her a bit of support,” said Shepherd.

“The hard thing is, I haven’t done any training as I don’t want to lose any weight, but I’m just going to give it a crack. I’m not going to go all out as I don’t want to get injured.

“But it is just about giving her some support and trying to raise as much money as possible for a good cause.”

Albion have a big game the following week against Blackheath, but Shepherd is confident he will be able to run the 13.1 miles without taking too much out of him.

When asked what Albion’s director of rugby and Cornwall head coach Graham Dawe said when he told him he was planning to run a half marathon during the season, Shepherd laughed: “He said I should be able to do it in a really good time as I play scrum-half!”

Anyone interested in sponsoring him, can do so at https://www.justgiving.com/Ellie-Shep/