FORMER Plymouth Royal Marine Mark Ormrod, nicknamed 'the bionic man', is to take part in a 3,530-mile marathon on his prosthetic legs.

The 26-year-old, who had his legs and right arm blown off by a Taliban bomb two years ago, will take part in the Gumpathon race across the US.

He will join four other servicemen in the 63-day marathon, crossing three deserts, four time zones and 10 mountain ranges along the way.

The quartet of servicemen will run more than 80 miles a day between them as a relay and Mark will do a minimum of a mile every day in the Gumpathon on prosthetic carbon fibre legs.

The team will be driven by van across the US while at least one of them is running.

Mark said: "It will be difficult. The energy expenditure on my legs is more than double that of most people so I get tired very easily.

"It's a huge challenge but one I am geared up for."

Mark, who lives in Plymstock, was nearly killed when he stepped on a Taliban landmine in Helmand, Afghanistan, on Christmas Eve 2007.

He has spent the past two years in rehabilitation centres, learning to walk on his prosthetic legs.

The team will head out to the US in September to run the race in a bid to raise £1million to help other war veterans.

He said: "We want to raise money for all the people who come back from war and can't get all the help they need.

"It will be agonisingly painful — but nothing will stop me from doing this."

Mark's height has gone from six feet two inches to five feet eight inches over the past couple of years, and his weight has dropped from 16 stone to 12 stone.

He said: "We will start in New York and run across the US to Los Angeles. I am looking forward to it."

The other servicemen running with Mark are Royal Marine Colour Sergeant Damien Todd, Staff Sergeant James Mazzoni-Dalton, Marine Jamie Jobson and US Marine Master Gunnery Sergeant Charles Padilla.

The run is due to begin on September 10.