A MARATHON gun run took place yesterday with more than 100 soldiers taking the strain to pull a field gun around their barracks.

Weighing 1.8 tonnes, the Second World War gun was pulled around a course at Catterick Garrison's Vimy Barracks in aid of the Marie Curie Cancer Care charity.

Teams of men completed the gruelling course in the bitter wind, pulling the gun over 26 miles of land, raising thousands of pounds for charity.

Organised at the Infantry Training Centre, teams of ten competed against each other to complete the circuit in the fastest time.

Peter Hall, treasurer at the Richmondshire branch of the charity, cheered the men on as they took up the challenge.

"As an ex-gunner in the Territorial Army, today was quite a retreat to my younger days," said Mr Hall. "The gun was being pulled around the course faster as the day went on, probably due to the nasty wind that picked up after lunch.

"The record time was 14.5 minutes and all the men were puffing and panting as they crossed the finish line.

"The event was very well supported and we hope to have raised more than £3,000 for the dedicated nurses in North Yorkshire."