Some might call them heroic, some are calling them crazy. Either way, running mates Mark Harris and Greg Tyers are setting off on a whirlwind adventure to raise money for two of their favourite charities.The two friends are running two marathons, on two different continents, on consecutive days.Their first attempt starts Sunday morning in France when they will endeavour to finish the Paris International Marathon in less than four hours.After a quick shower and packing, they jump on a plane in a bid to take part in Monday’s Boston Marathon in Massachusetts.The 34-year-olds decided they had to do something extraordinary to raise money for local charity WindReach, and Nelson Mandela’s Children’s Fund.Mr Harris said: “We knew we had to do something different to drum up some interest, especially in this day and age, with the way the economy is, trying to get people to sponsor you can be quite difficult.“So we came up with the idea of doing a slight twist on the normal marathon.”Once the idea popped into the runners’ heads, they had to research whether the mammoth task was even possible.They contacted the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Club for help in securing a place in the Boston Marathon, then researched flights and other logistics needed to pull the plan off.“There were a couple of beers involved in the pub and we decided to do it,” said Mr Tyers.The duo regularly comes in contact with people shocked about their feat. Overall, however, friends and family have been extremely supportive.With the help of local running group The Weekenders — in particular Liz Craig — they began their training regime in January. They have been running pretty much every day of the week, taking only one or two days off to give their bodies time to rest.They usually tackle between ten and 16-mile courses on the weekends; but have managed up to 22 miles. And the two men admit that while they are motivated by their charities, the thrill of the challenge is also playing a big part.“When you are old and grey and sitting in the rocking chair looking at what you have done, you can kind of look back at this as a moment of madness, but you are kind of glad you did something as crazy as this,” Mr Harris said.So far they have raised $5,000 for the charities and are hopeful more money will pour in. WindReach offers therapeutic horse riding and other programmes for individuals with special needs.Nelson Mandela’s Children’s Fund is a non-profit organisation in South Africa. Among other things it helps families living with AIDS, as well as children left orphaned from the disease.Mr Tyers said he was astounded by the support, adding that: “The amount of people that have been so generous in their donations for the charity, it has kind of put an extra layer of pressure on us to finish.”In order to successfully complete the plan, timing will be crucial. Mr Harris and Mr Tyers must start the marathon in Paris at 9am and are hoping to finish by 1pm.They are scheduled to land in London shortly before 5pm, where they will enjoy quick massages at Heathrow Airport before continuing on their journey to Boston. They hope to be at their hotel in the United States around 10.30pm or 11pm, which would allow them just a few hours sleep before the next run.“We have a friend who is running just the Boston Marathon and he has agreed to pick up bib numbers and they will be at the hotel waiting for us on Sunday evening,’ Mr Tyers explained. “The following morning we have to get a bus at 7am.”The men will be up against several challenges, including unusually warm weather in both Paris and Boston, and jet lag. In order to ease the strain of travelling on their bodies they have been advised by their doctors to take aspirin, stretch and move regularly during the flights.Despite the challenges the men are confident they can succeed. They have been inspired by British adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes who completed seven marathons in seven days, just months after suffering a heart attack, in 2003.Mr Harris, an accountant at Scottish Re, said: “We will do this even if we have to hobble. We will do this even after they have cleared the barriers and opened the road up [to vehicles] in Boston.”Mr Tyers, an accountant at Marsh Management Services, added: “It definitely will happen.”The men anticipate they will experience a range of emotions on race day.“I am always nervous before a run, especially now that we are doing two of them, but kind of excited,” said Mr Harris. “I am pretty sure at the end of the Boston we will feel fantastic that we have achieved something like this. But also at the end of the day it will be amazing that we raised quite a bit for two worthwhile causes, so I think everyone wins in the end.”Both men have been running for nearly five years and have run in marathons in London, Berlin, Chicago and New York. Mr Tyers has also completed the Boston Marathon.They sent a special thanks out to their partners who have been extremely supportive with the early morning alarm clocks.Anyone interested in making a donation can e-mail mark.harris@scottishre.com or greg.tyers@marsh.com. People can also donate directly to WindReach by calling 238-2469.