Bastille star Dan Smith doing round-the-world training for London Marathon

Bastille singer Dan Smith trained for the London Marathon by fitting in 18-mile runs before taking to the stage during the band’s world tour.

The singer will take part in Sunday’s race in honour of his mother who survived breast cancer.

Smith’s preparations meant he had to perform hours after completing gruelling runs on the streets of cities around the world including Sydney, Vienna and Abu Dhabi.

He told the Standard: “I’ve never done a marathon before so I’m excited and kind of wishing it was over.”

He added: “Having run in all these cities has made it an amazing challenge. You never get much of a chance to see cities when you’re on tour, so it’s been a nice excuse to get out and see the real side of these places.”

Smith, 32, is raising money for Breast Cancer Now, a charity where his mother worked for 10 years. She was diagnosed with the cancer shortly after starting a new job at another charity in “a twisted irony”, the star said.

He added: “Thankfully her treatment was successful and she is all right now.”

It has been a busy time for Bastille as they release the first track from their forthcoming third album, Doom Days.

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