A Hadleigh runner is preparing the chase his Olympic dream this autumn - on the end of a small piece of string.

James Wagstaff, 23, is the running guide for top visually-impaired athlete Tracey Hinton and is going for gold in both the 400m and 800m at the Paralympics in October.

James will spend each race joined to Tracey, 30, by a piece of string attached to their wrists and guide her round the track with verbal cues.

But he will not receive a medal if she wins because he is not classified as a competitor - a fact that does not worry him.

"It's great to be part of the Olympics and get a feel for what goes on," said James as training got underway in Tracey's home town of Cardiff in south Wales.

"All I get is a pat on the back afterwards, but I'm quite happy with that as it will be a great experience."

The pair linked up four years ago when they studied the same course at the University of Wales Institute in Cardiff.

With James's help, Tracey won the 800m at last year's world championships and was also runner-up in the 400m.

To reach those heights in any form of athletics there is a lot of hard work involved, but especially so in this event as they run in tandem together.

Tracey clocked a time of 12.93 in winning the 100m silver in the Seville world championships last year and running at that speed with a guide in tow obviously prevents dangers.

James revealed: "There's a danger of disqualification if I finish ahead of her. It's very much like a synchronised run and my stride length has to be the same as hers."

The Sydney Games will be the pair's last race together - James is retiring to concentrate on his new job as PE teacher at Thundersley's King John School.

After training in Cardiff, they will put in some last-minute training at Canvey's Waterside Farm in September.

On their marks for Sydney - James Wagstaff and Tracey Hinton will be in the Paralympics this autumn

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