HEADS might be as sore as legs in Swindon this morning after town fundraisers sank drinks for every one of the miles they covered during yesterday’s London Marathon.

However, the soreness should quickly lift when they assess the thousands of pounds they raised for charities near and far.

More than 38,000 ran the iconic distance in the capital, but the Adver had its sights set on the group of ten it profiled in the run-up to the event.

The fastest of our fundraisers was 40-year-old Paul Bailey, of Perry’s Lane in Wroughton, who attracted more than £2,700 in donations for Zurich’s selected charities.

With time for a toilet break after 15 miles, Paul still crossed the finish line in the Mall after 3hrs 15min, with the crowds shouting the name printed on his vest back at him.

“The support in London – I’ve never experienced anything like it before. The entire 26 miles was packed ten-deep on the pavements,” he said.

“Every person was just cheering your name the whole way around.

“I was high-fiving all the kids, raising my arms and shouting. I couldn’t hear them to get them going.

“I hit the wall at mile 23, but I was just determined to keep going and kept thinking about all of the other people who donated.

“Then there was my dad and friends at mile nine and Big Ben, which gave me the huge push at the end to keep going.

“It was all so inspirational and I’m just buzzing now. It really affects you.

“I almost burst into tears at the finish. You are coming to the end of a journey.

“You’ve trained for the last four months and all of a sudden it’s over. It’s a combination of all the miles run and the money raised.

“If you think about how that can help anybody who needs it, wherever it goes, it brought a tear to my eye.”

Paul was invited to Zurich’s offices in London after the race for a well-earned beer.

He was joined there by his family, as well as twin brother John, of The Orchard in Chiseldon, who tracked his brother all the way around the course, finishing in 3hrs 29min.

“I have never experienced a big race like this before. The crowds are fantastic,” said John, who has raised around £2,600 for Prospect Hospice.

“The amount of people shouting out your name is incredible. It really keeps you going.

“They all hold up their hands and as you go by you’re high-fiving them all. If I get the chance, I will definitely run it again.

“I kept thinking about a few people I knew who died at Prospect and the people there now I was running to look after – that helped me through the tough parts.”

Other Swindon runners:

Stuart Bevan – 3hrs 27min

Leanne Rouse – 4hrs 38min

Phil Jefferies – 4hrs 57min

Emma Smith – 4hrs 58min

Gill Slattery – 5hrs 8min

James Cole – 5hrs 14min

Brian Watt – 5hrs 21min

Ross Carter – 5hrs 31min