HE was overtaken by a Womble, a collection of clowns, three Batmen and various other animals.

 

But Evening Times columnist and solicitor Austin Lafferty is celebrating after completing the Virgin Money London Marathon in four hours and 41 minutes.

The 55-year-old was joined by some 37,800 fundraisers, amateur runners and elite athletes who took part in the 26.2mile event in the capital.

Readers followed Austin's journey through his weekly column on efforts to train for the Belfast Marathon last year.

And he was back pounding the pavements yesterday to complete the London marathon alongside his son Jonathan, 26.

Austin managed to raise £3000 for the charity Jesuit Missions, which helps people in poverty across the world.

Austin said the marathon crowd was "gigantic" and he enjoyed thousands of people cheering his name - even if some of them got it wrong.

He said: "It is staggering. I had my name on my shirt and as I was running people were shouting: 'Come on Austin'.

"Although people on the other side couldn't hear my name and thought I was Justin, so they were shouting: 'Come on Justin.'

"This is probably my last marathon - my joints couldn't take any more.

"But I was very pleased with my time.

"My half way time was spectacular, it was two hours 20 minutes.

"I ran about 20 minutes faster than my last marathon."

Austin said the conditions were perfect.

He said: "It was cold and clear, it wasn't sunny and it wasn't windy.

"You're running past landmarks like the Cutty Shark, London Eye, the Houses of Parliament near the end. It's a magnificent run."

Austin returned to Glasgow last night, and was back at his desk today.

World record holder Paula Radcliffe, 41, completed her final competitive marathon in an unofficial time of 2:36:55.

David and Victoria Beckham were among an estimated 750,000 spectators who lined the streets of the capital.

They cheered on their 12-year-old son Romeo, who completed the mini marathon.

Organisers expected around 37,800 runners to start the race this year, compared with the previous record of 37,227 in 2012.

A host of celebrities also tackled the famous 26.2-mile course, including Radio 2 DJ Chris Evans, TV presenter Jenni Falconer and Formula One driver Jenson Button.