RUNNERS will be waking up with sore legs and a sense of achievement today - but few more so than Didcot’s very own Chris Davies.

Residents in Oxfordshire were among a sea of sporting amateurs who tackled the 37th London Marathon yesterday, sweating across the capital city for 26.2 miles.

More than 40,300 participants took part this year, including 45-year-old Mr Davies.

The Didcot Runners member described the run as the hardest thing he had ever done, after hobbling for 22 miles with an excruciating injury.

He said: “I was injured on mile four, in both of my knees. Running it really was the toughest thing I have ever done.

“I’m quite a determined person so although it went wrong, there was no way I was going to give up. It’s an achievement to get through something like that.”

The experienced amateur has run several marathons before, but this was his first time taking on London.

He said: “It was such a fantastic atmosphere - it’s an experience you will never get anywhere else. It felt amazing to cross the finish line.”

Mr Davies managed to limp across the finish line with a time of six hours and 29 minutes, and said he celebrated with ‘a glass of water and a sit down’.

He was disappointed with his time but added: “You don’t come to London to run a good time, there are too many people to get away. You come to enjoy the atmosphere.”

The runner, who works at an MRI scanner company in Milton Park, raised almost £400 for Action on Hearing Loss - a cause close to his heart after his former partner lost 80 per cent of her hearing.

His time was smashed by fellow Didcot Runners members, including London Marathon novice Noel Francis who finished in four hours and 23 minutes.

The 60-year-old said: “The last couple of miles were the toughest part of it. I’ve done several marathons before in places like Milton Keynes and Yorkshire, but this is my first time at London. It’s definitely a landmark race - it has much better crowds and a history.”

The Didcot resident encouraged others to take on the challenge, adding: “It [involves] a lot of training and hard work but if you want to do it, it’s worth it.”

He was cheered on by his partner and friends from the running club, whose other marathon participants included 34-year-old Eileen Naughton.

Yesterday marked Miss Naughton’s 10th London Marathon, which she ran to raise cash for Children with Cancer charity.

Other seasoned participants in Oxfordshire included Bicester’s so-called ‘Forrest Gump’ Ewan Gordon, 44.

He has ran more than 56 marathons in memory of Bicester nine-year-old Thomas Laurie, who died of a rare genetic condition.

Also running for a cause close to her heart was Wantage musician Heather Wells, who was raising money for housing association MHA.

The 53-year-old, who plays in Wantage Silver Band, said she was ‘absolutely buzzing’ to complete the course in about five hours and nine minutes.

She said: “It was my first time and it was amazing. We are so lucky to have that scenery in our captial. I was struggling after mile 15 but the crowds were amazing. I had great support from the charity team and from friends, it was lovely.”