HE MAY not be jazz musician Miles Davies, but Newport man Frank O'Connor is aiming follow the great man as he takes his trumpet to blow away the Big Apple.

Mr O'Connor, from Llanwern, will blast out around 50 tunes when he takes part in the gruelling 26.2 mile ING New York Marathon this Sunday.

"I did the London Marathon in April and managed to play about 50 tunes. It works out at about two songs each mile.

"As the race goes on the standard of my performance definitely drops," he said.

According to Mr O'Connor the idea to run marathons playing the trumpet came from a pub conversation.

The 52-year-old teaches music at City Academy in Bristol and is more accustomed to playing the french horn but said the brass instrument was too heavy to lug around the New York route.

"I borrow a trumpet from a friend because it's much lighter."

On Friday Mr O'Connor will make his first trip to the Big Apple and he said he was excited about running the iconic route.

Mr O'Connor is aiming to raise £2,500 for Fairbridge, a charity that works with young people aged 13-25 that other organisations find difficult to engage. It could be those who find themselves homeless or out of mainstream education.

To gather sponsorship, Mr O'Connor has set up a just giving website, where he's hoping to attract fans and cash.

"I'm asking people to sponsor me a little bit more to play specific songs."

To get his body into shape Mr O'Connor is going for regular jogs around Newport as well as trips to the gym. Earlier this month he ran the Cardiff half marathon in preparation for run around New York.

If you would like to sponsor Mr O'Connor then visit www.justgiving.com/frankoconnor1

A marathon for 40,000

The ING New York Marathon was first run in 1970 when 127 runners paid the $1 entry fee to take part.

Now up to 900,000 people apply to run the race which is watched by a television audience of 315 million people.

The race begins on Staten Island before moving into Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan. Almost 40,000 runners then cross to the Bronx before reentering Manhattan and finishing up in Central Park.

Last year the women's event was won by Britain's own Paula Radcliffe.