MARATHON madness gripped runners from East Lancashire as they tackled the mid-day sun and 26 gruelling miles to raise thousands of pounds for deserving causes.

Local runners joined the massed throng of foot-weary fund-raisers who slogged their way along the London Marathon route.

For Burnley teacher Pat McKiernan the lowest point was being passed by a "sunflower".

"I couldn't believe it, seeing this person dressed as a sunflower going past me," said Mr McKiernan, 41, senior master at St Theodore's RC School.

"I did it in 4hrs 31minutes, which is six minutes slower than my time in 1989. I put it down to the fact I'm seven years older and the heat. People were dropping all over the place."

Mr McKiernan is expecting to raise £600 for the Borchardt Ward of the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital which treats youngsters suffering from cancer and other illnesses.

He ran in memory of the school caretaker's son Mark LeCheminant, 17, who died at Christmas.

Staff from Burnley paper firm Smurfit - the Smurfit Six - completed the course with one member, Gary Wilkinson, finishing in under three hours - just. His official time was 2hrs 59mins 59secs. He raised money for the National Asthma Campaign.

Team mates Paul Butler, John Knight and Stephen Geoghegan - running to raise cash for the same cause - Rolly Kay (epilepsy research) and Paul Dewhurst (British Heart Foundation) came in afterwards.

Other Burnley runners supporting the National Asthma Campaign were Peter Haslem and Desmond Taylor.

It was fourth time round for Barnoldswick man Simon Murgatroyd, aiming to raise £700 to buy equipment for Barnoldswick surgery. On previous runs Simon, of Rosemount Avenue, has raised cash for the British Heart Foundation, St Joseph's School in Barnoldswick, and St James' Hospital, Leeds.

Nursery nurse Ruth Simpkin, running in her first marathon, said: "It was a wonderful experience to see all the crowds cheering the runners on. I was reduced to tears by the emotion of it at times."

Ruth is hoping to raise around £700 for Townhouse School, Nelson, where she works. She finished the course in 4hrs 52mins.

Eric Smith, who works at Ready Mixed Concrete, Burnley, put in a solid performance to record a time of 4hrs 12mins in his eighth marathon.

"It was very hot, so it was a matter of taking as much water as possible and taking it a bit easier than I had planned," he said. He hopes to raise more than £100 for the Meningitis Trust.

Posties James Lavin and Phil Dodds from Burnley are used to pounding the streets every day. They are hoping to raise over £500 for Calder View Special School, Burnley. James recorded a time of around 3hrs 45mins with Phil coming in a few minutes later.

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