The spirit of the London Marathon was evident in Colerne as friends of retired army officer Bernadette Rigby, 49, packed into The Fox and Hounds pub to cheer her on.

Bernadette, a former warrant officer, completed the marathon in 4hrs and 25mins, raising more than £2,200 for Prostate Cancer UK.

While she was slogging round the 26-mile course her friends and family packed into the local pub to watch the race, while her son Jake prepared a marathon morning breakfast.

She said: “The atmosphere was amazing, the whole of London was buzzing.

“Thirty people turned up for the big breakfast at the pub, and I had a lot of texts from friends saying they were having a full English for me.

"They had a big board up outside the pub, and it was great to know I had that much support back home.

“It was such a special occasion, the people on the sidelines were so supportive and you find yourself forgetting that it’s 26 miles, the word marathon disappears into the event itself.

Bernadette signed up for the marathon as the first of a series of endurance challenges before she is 50 in October, with an off-road marathon over the Mendips still to come.

She said: “I’m going to have today off, but I will definitely be back on the road on Tuesday for a no-pressure run, then back in the gym at the Olympiad on Wednesday.”