HE may be 72 but Malmesbury hero Richard Warren not only completed the London Marathon on Sunday, he also rescued a wheelchair-bound competitor who fell.

Special Constable Warren, who raised more than £2,500 for the MS Society, came to the woman's aid after she became unsteady on the way down from Tower Bridge. Her feet were tied into the chair but he managed to grab her just before she hit the ground.

"That's what you do in the marathon – you help each other to the finish line," he said. "The last six miles are made doubly tough because there are already vehicles picking up rubbish and people taking down barriers."

He also said his wife Lynette, who suffers from MS, is "his inspiration" and he's already started training for next year.

As usual, the capital was awash with colour and plenty of innovative fancy dress costumes – some more unusual than most.

Jackie Scully, who was brought up in Corsham, ran the marathon with new husband Duncan Sloan after they were married on Sunday at London's Cutty Sark, then raced to the start line to take on the 26-mile challenge.

Breast cancer survivor Jackie, who was raising money for breast cancer charities, completed it in less than six hours in her bridal gown. She said: “I stood on that start line and I didn’t know if I would even make a mile because of the injuries I’ve been through.

“I've had my leg rebuilt 10 years ago, on top of breast cancer, so I've had quite a few hurdles to overcome.”

Charlie Brown, who ran with siblings Gemma and Dominic, also managed to push through his pre-race injuries to complete the course. Born and raised in Hilcott and Marlborough, the family have remained close, despite flying the nest. Their proud parents, Sally and Trevor, praised Charlie's "incredible courage and endurance". It was the first time the brothers had tackled a marathon, and Charlie finished in 4hrs 25min, while Dominic managed to break the four-hour target, coming in on 3hrs 59min and Gemma maintained her record of good times with 3hrs 24min.

Family was also the motivation for Damion Godwin, 34, who took up running after the death of his baby son Kyle, joining Devizes Running Club to honour his memory. In keeping with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's Heads Together campaign, he said that the challenge tested him mentally as well as physically but left him feeling "stronger" than ever, adding: "I crashed at the 15-mile mark but kept pushing. The last six miles was like running through treacle!"

Some runners were frustrated when the Virgin Money Giving website crashed before, during and after the race, but nevertheless a staggering amount was raised for charity.

Corsham-based Lewis Baxter has already raised more than £7,500 for Worldwide Cancer Research thanks to donations from generous friends, family, clients and colleagues. The financial adviser with family firm Unividual, based in Hartham Park, dedicated his run to his grandmother Valerie, who has beaten breast cancer twice.

"I am not going to hide the fact that the London Marathon isn’t easy," he said. "I don’t know what more I could have done to prepare for it; I trained hard, ate well and haven’t had a beer since Christmas. It was worth it though for the amount of money we raised."

And while the crowd enjoyed the mild-April weather, two runners were particularly feeling the heat. Steve Taylor, from Trowbridge Fire Station, and Jason Nightingale, from Devizes, heroically completed the course wearing their full breathing kit, which weighs 12 kilograms.