Michael Owen chose to take part in London Marathon in bid to stay fit

Retired footballer Michael Owen has revealed that he chose to take part in this Sunday's London Marathon due to a fear of putting on weight.

The 34-year-old, who ended his playing career at the end of last season, also claimed that he wanted to take on the 26.2 mile race to raise money for charity.

"I had two motivations for doing the marathon," the Daily Star quotes Owen as saying. "Firstly, for charity as I'm running for some which are close to me personally.

"Secondly, when I was thinking of retiring from football at the end of last season, it was to give me something to aim for.

"We all know sportsmen have a real appetite and I thought if I don't do anything, I'll double in size. So, I had to fix my mind on something and get into training."

Owen is among a number of famous faces taking part in the race, including British rower James Cracknell and Olympic champion long-distance runner Mo Farah.