RACECOURSE boss Chris Tetley is used to being in the thick of competition, but he's still recovering from his most gruelling event yet.

As the managing director and clerk of the course at Thirsk he knows all there is to know about the stamina required for the sport of kings.

But now he also knows about the ultimate in human sports - after taking part in the London Marathon as a complete novice and raising £15,000 for Yorkshire Cancer Research.

For someone who hadn't run a mile before he started training, Mr Tetley, 54, managed to complete the course in a respectable time of five hours.

"I don't intend making a habit of it and it wasn't wonderful as everyone says," he said.

"It was sheer hell, but I did it."

He trained for weeks to get fit - and now has no intention of keeping up the strict regime.

"I've done what I intended doing, I've got the T-shirt now, so its back to my old routine," said Mr Tetley.

He decided to run in the marathon after losing two of his closest friends to cancer, and set himself a sponsorship target of £10,000.

His daughter Fiona, 19, encouraged him, and ran alongside him.