RUNNERS from Keighley district battled record temperatures as they sweated their way to the finish at the London Marathon.

Sunday’s (April 22) event was the hottest London Marathon on record, with participants coping with a temperature of 24.1C (75.3F). They included 41-year-old Cross Roads man Jonathan Carter, who picked up a Guinness World Record for the fastest person to complete a marathon while wearing a hospital patient’s outfit and carrying a saline drip stand!

He was raising money for Airedale Hospital’s dignity room and youth charity the Brathay Trust.

Mr Carter, a charge nurse and trainee advanced clinical practitioner at Airedale, finished in three hours 39 minutes.

“It was extremely hot and the gown I was running in didn’t let any air through,” he said. “Also, I was carrying the drip stand with a litre of saline in, so my arms were very tired.”

Shortly after the race he was shocked to learn an acquaintance of his, Matt Campbell, another fundraiser for Brathay Trust, had collapsed at the marathon’s 22.5 mile point and died soon afterwards. Mr Campbell was just 29-years-old.

Another person running for a local good cause was Ilkley-based soap star Karen Blick, who plays Lydia Hart in Emmerdale.

Ms Blick was raising cash for Manorlands in memory of friend Margaret Banks, who died at the hospice in 2007. She finished the run in just under six hours.

“I took the heat and the distance seriously,” she said.

“I held myself back to make sure I could finish and ensured I stayed well hydrated. So far I’ve raised £2,650 for Manorlands, which I’m very pleased with.”

Also raising money for Manorlands was gardener Steve Thorpe, 54, of Haworth. He has so far raised about £2,000 for the hospice. He finished the marathon in four hours 39 minutes.

“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done and I needed to dig into all my reserves,” he said. “People were collapsing left, right and centre. Even elite athletes were struggling.”

Knowle Park resident Saiqul Miah, 37, who runs a hotel and restaurant, was taking part in the marathon for the first time.

He finished in just under six hours and estimates he will raise £4,000 for Leukaemia Cancer Care.

“I’m happy with how I’ve done,” he said. “The support I had from customers, family and friends was amazing. I only started getting into running in March of last year, and since then I’ve learned a lot about myself.”

Airedale Hospital consultant gastroenterologist Dr Chris Healey, 54, from Steeton, finished the run in five hours, nine minutes.

“I reached my fundraising target for Sue Ryder Manorlands, which was very important,” he said.

“It would have been nice to have finished in under five hours, but in those conditions I recognised that would be pushing things too far.

“I’d like to thank all my generous sponsors and the team at Sue Ryder who’ve supported me.”