MARATHON man Gary Atkinson is celebrating after finishing 13th in a gruelling 26-mile race, in Malta.

The 22-year-old, from Evenwood, joined six other members of the Evenwood Road Runners in the Malta Marathon. The athletes train together every week.

His tough training regime paid off as he beat his target time of under three hours and finished 13th out of about 250 runners.

Mr Atkinson, who works for M&M Plasline, in Bishop Auckland, said: "The whole team did really well, it was a joint effort.

"I was aiming to finish the race in under three hours, which I did, so it was an added bonus to find out I had finished 13th overall."

Mr Atkinson is now planning to take part in a marathon this autumn, and continue his training with the Evenwood club.

He said: "I try to train about five times a week, and it paid off in the marathon in Malta, but I am looking forward to having a break before my next race."