Top athlete Richard Goodman is known for racing long distances - quickly. Now he is running for a more charitable cause.

The 17-year-old has been made an ambassador for charity Action Duchenne, which supports and promotes research into a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. The disease causes progressive muscle weakness among boys.

Richard, ranked in the UK top three for the 3,000m and 5,000m, tells People: "I was doing a bit of research into charities and came across a race to raise money for the charity. I had never heard of Action Duchenne but looked into it and as an athlete, was extremely interested in the work it does." He then emailed the organisation, which asked him to take on the role of ambassador.

"Although I didn't know much about it, it is a massive charity and I am hoping that I can spread the word further, particularly among people my age."

Richard, who is finishing off his A-levels at JFS, has competed in several senior international events including the World Cross Country Championships in Poland, and winning the McCain UK Cross Country Challenge, National Junior Athletic league national final and the Aviva London Grand Prix Diamond League. He is shortly off to Keyna to train for the European Games and London Olympics, before heading to the US to take up a university scholarship there. He currently lives in Stanmore, Middlesex.