A FAMILY of ‘heart warriors’ have united for a mammoth 200-mile bike ride and half marathon to raise funds for a cause close to their hearts.

Firefighter Daniel Preston will set off on the challenging bike ride from Oxford to Pembrokeshire, South Wales, with his brother John today.

It is just one of the testing trials the pair are taking on alongside friends and family to raise money for the charity Max’s Foundation.

The London-based charity funds research into genetic heart conditions in honour of 10-year-old Max Schiller, who passed away suddenly in 2015.

Daniel Preston and his wife Kayleigh, from Didcot, have their own close connection to the charity as their one-year-old son Henry was born with a genetic heart disease called Hypertrophy Cardiomyopathy.

This is the same heart condition that Max Schiller had.

Mrs Preston said they heard of the foundation when Henry was diagnosed with the condition just two days old at the John Radcliffe Hospital.

She said: “The condition is nine times out of 10 hereditary but we haven't got it in our family so it is very rare for Henry.

“The condition means he has a stiffened heart muscle which means it can’t function as well as it normally would.”

Henry is on medication four times and day and has been since he was born.

Mrs Preston added: “He is 21 months and he is thriving and doing amazingly well: to look at him you wouldn’t believe he had this condition.”

The family want to fundraise for more research into treatment and, eventually, a cure – but also to help support other families going through similar journeys.

Mr Preston, 32, and his brother will set off today on the mammoth bike ride as the first big fundraiser for the foundation.

Then they will be joined by Mrs Preston and number of other friends and family as ‘heart warriors’ taking on the Oxford Half Marathon as a team in October.

The group have already raised £2,557 with an online fundraising page and hope to smash a £5,000 target.

Mrs Preston said: “The charity means so much to us.

"If we can help with research in a way it will be helping Henry’s future but also help other families.”

To donate to the family efforts and the foundation see https://bit.ly/2l6Vb92