A firefighter and a woman running in a sari were among Hounslow's heroes who completed the London Marathon in the blazing sunshine yesterday.
Polly Shoebridge, who teaches at Lampton School, Hounslow, recorded a personal best of 3h31m, despite running in a specially adapted sari.
Glen Nicolaides, a firefighter who lives in Feltham, braved the pain barrier to make it round in 4h45, just a month after tearing a ligament in his left foot.
Rikesh Patel, a trainee pharmacist, of Isleworth, completed the 26.2 mile course in just over five hours, raising £1,800 for The Children's Society.
Miss Shoebridge, who lives in Twickenham and was running her seventh marathon, was back at school today to hold Easter revision courses. She raised more than £500 for Supporting Dalit Children, which helps educate impoverished Indian children.
"It was really painful, especially when the pacemaker passed me at 22 miles, and I really struggled to keep up, but I was so happy to get a PB," said the 35-year-old.
"So many people this year were fainting because of the heat, and the sari scarf had to come off at the halfway mark because it was getting in the way.
"All the children were calling me 'Miss Jingles' because I had a sash with bangles attached, and the jewelled stickers on my face have left me with lots of white marks where it should have been tanned, but I'm feeling surprisingly good today."
Mr Nicolaides, of Hamilton Road, Feltham, has raised just over £1,000 for the Autistic Society in honour of his eight-year-old nephew Alfie, who has the condition.
The 35-year-old father-of-two, who works as a fire enforcement officer in Soho, had only completed five training runs before tearing a ligament a month before the race but still crossed the finish line in 4h45m.
He was going to run as Iron Man, Alfie's favourite superhero, but had to ditch the costume because of the heat.
"I don't know how I did it. I don't think I would have made it round if it wasn't for the amazing support and the inspiration from some of the other runners, including someone with a full set of golf clubs, and the 'Hackney Toboggan Team'," he said.
Mr Patel, 23, followed in the footsteps of his father and uncle by completing the marathon in aid of The Children's Society, which helps protect disadvantaged children.
"Just completing it was the main thing! It is a huge personal achievement and it helped to think about the cause I was running for on the route. Knowing that I was helping such a worthy charity pulled me through the hard miles."
* You can still donate to Miss Shoebridge here and to Mr Nicolaides here.
* The Children's Society has places available at events including The BUPA 10k, the Great North Run and Ride London 100. More information is available here.
