Teenager makes all the running

And not only did Bexhill-based Matthew Garland, 19 today (Friday), manage to pull off the not-inconsiderable feat of getting accepted, the fact that he then covered the arduous 26 mile course amid continual rain and wind in a time of 4 hours and 56 minutes means that he will raise somewhere in the region of 1,400 for charity.

"I'm very delighted indeed," he said of the princely sum due to go to the official race charity SENSE, which aids blind and deaf children. "I really enjoyed it. It has been a long-standing ambition of mine to do both the Hastings Half (which he completed in one hour 47 minutes last month) and London Marathon by the age of 19 - that was my big target."

Matthew, who paid 100 just to earn a place to run for a charity after missing out in last September's normal ballot, would like to thank his family, work colleagues at Bexhill Tesco and friends at Eastbourne College for their support. Anybody who would like to make a further donation should contact Matthew on (01424) 223947.