Sunday 23rd April saw a record breaking 40,000 runners take to the streets of London to tackle the 2017 London Marathon.
Participating in the marathon for the sixth time was Vale of Glamorgan MP, Alun Cairns, who finished as the fastest Cabinet Minister and second fastest Member of Parliament. Completing the 26.2 mile course in 3 hours 36 minutes, Mr Cairns ran to raise money for the Vale of Glamorgan branch of Age Connects, and Heads Together – the Marathon’s charity of the year as championed by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry.
Thousands of other Welsh runners joined Mr Cairns at the Marathon, including international rugby star Shane Williams and Josh Griffiths who burst onto the world stage as the fastest non-elite runner.
Speaking after the race, Mr Cairns said: “The London Marathon is always extremely physically and mentally challenging, and this year was no different. The time I had available to train this year was much more limited than it had been in the past, so I was really quite nervous as to just how difficult I would find the course this year. Knowing that I was running for two such deserving charities really helped push me to the finish line!
“I want to give a huge thank you to everyone who has given their support and donated to my fundraising. I cannot wait to hand over the money raised!