Blind runner John Turnbull beat thousands of London Marathon participants to the finish - despite having to be led round the 26-mile course.

John Turnbull: "real buzz"

John, 58, of Holgate Road, York, took a respectable four hours and ten minutes to complete the race, only narrowly missing his goal of under four hours.

And he praised his son, Chris, who led him along each turn of the course.

John said: "If we had got under four hours that would have been the icing on the cake, but it would be very difficult when you're taped together and running with that many people.

"I came in with what is an about average time, and I get a real buzz that, despite not being able to see and having to rely on somebody else to get round, I can run on a level with thousands of other runners."

John expects his run to have raised more than £2,000 for the Royal National Institute for the Blind.

Other North Yorkshire runners who completed yesterday's event include Nikki Fielden, Gail Blackburn and Teresa Williams, of Wheldrake, who were raising money for the World Cancer Research Fund and the Wheldrake-with-Thorganby School Millennium Library Project.

Chef Linda Fawcett, from Acomb, completed the race for medical charity Action Research.

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