Striders’ triumph

Pride of place goes to 66-year-old Paschal Moran who, making his 23rd visit to the event, recorded a time of 3-33, his quickest time since 2004.

He said: “The weather was kind to us as it was warm but it did not rain – ideal conditions for me.”

“The crowds gave amazing support and even though I’m a London Marathon veteran, the hairs still stood up on the back of myneck at the reception the runners received.”

Paschal, who still runs 40 to 50 miles every week, says that now he is semi-retired he has more time for regular gym work.

“I do circuit training twice a week and I’ve already noticed a big difference to my overall fitness,” he said.

Tom Humphries also recorded a fantastic time of three hours 18 minutes, while Barry Corringham did well to record a time of 4-45.

John Myskiw, another Morton Strider, was competing in the London Marathon for the first time and was running for Make-A-Wish Foundation UK, the charity that grants magical wishes to children and young people fighting life-threatening conditions.

John, 34, who completed the 26.2 mile run in five hours and 11 minutes, chose to run for Make-A-Wish because the company he works for, Smiffy’s, is a corporate supporter of the charity.

John, who also ran the Great North Run last year for Make-A-Wish, suffered an injury just 10 miles into the marathon but he pushed through to complete the race alongside his colleague who also ran for Make-A-Wish, Mark Schofield.

John said: “The work Make-A-Wish does is brilliant.”

“I have three children under eight and I can’t imagine how illness would tear them apart.”

“I’m so grateful for their health and wanted to give back to other parents less fortunate.”

Karen England, Director of Fundraising at Make-A-Wish, said: “We are extremely grateful to John for running the Virgin London Marathon on behalf of Make-A-Wish.”

“We hope to grant 1,000 magical wishes this year and it’s fundraisers like John who really help us to reach this target.”

“A wish is a lasting memory not just for the child or young person fighting a life-threatening illness, but for their parents and siblings too.”

“It can provide some much needed respite or simply give them some precious time together as a family.”

To support John please visit his JustGiving page at www.justgiving.com/John-Myskiw.