A father of three from Maldon is celebrating after he raised £2,695 for Farleigh Hospice by completing the London Marathon last Sunday (October 2).

Neil Pilgrim, 40, ran the 26-mile marathon in 4 hours and 58 minutes.

He told Nub News: "It was probably the best and most horrendous thing I've ever done in my life."

Neil had originally hoped to raise £2,000 for Farleigh Hospice, so he says he is "chuffed to bits" about smashing his fundraising goal.

Businesses such as The Blue Boar, Continental Cafe and local hairdressers donated prizes as part of a numbers game, which raised a total of £800 for the charity.

A golf day held at Forrester Park Golf Club, Great Totham, raised a further £840.

Neil's full-time job and three children made it more difficult to find time to train. Fortunately, Neil has been supported by his wife, Laura.

He said: "The marathon itself was hard enough, but so were the 16 weeks leading up to it – trying to get out and run three or four times a week."

40,000 people competed in this year's event.

On the big day, Neil's wife, children, parents, and family friends were there to cheer him on.

Neil said: "The atmosphere was amazing.

"I had my name on my vest, so the crowd was shouting, 'go on Neil – you've got this!'

"And you've got fellow runners around you – talking to each other and giving words of encouragement.

"It was a once in a lifetime experience."

Despite working in London, Neil (and the 39,999 other competitors) had the opportunity to see the city from a new perspective. The marathon route took him past landmarks including Canary Warf, Tower Bridge, and Buckingham Palace.

Although Neil trained very regularly in preparation for the event, he found the last six miles of the marathon the most difficult.

He said: "It was brutal – trying to run when every part of your body is telling you not to."

But the intensity and difficulty of the marathon has not put Neil off doing it again.

Neil said: "I've definitely got the marathon bug!"

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