Steve Way, who only took up running aged 33 in a bid to lose weight and help replace cigarettes, came 25th. He is thought to have been the fifth best-placed Briton.

His time was 2.19.04, shaving more than 30 seconds off his personal best.

Steve, 37, of Branksome, said: “I’ve pretty much turned into a completely different person to what I was five years ago.

“Once you’ve got the buzz of finishing the London Marathon in under two hours 20 minutes, having Bird Cage Walk to yourself and getting the crowd cheering you on, it’s something you have to come back for every year.

“Until my body tells me it can’t do it, it’s going to be something I’ll do for a long time to come.”

• Injury forced him to abandon his dream of running seven marathons in seven days earlier this week – but Adam Murry still completed the London Marathon.

The Bournemouth businessman finished in 5.05.07 despite his recent agonising knee and leg injuries.

He had finished marathons in Paris, Geneva and Italy and a half-marathon in Austria before having to admit defeat in his 777 Challenge.

He said of the London run: “I really started feeling it at about 11 miles and I felt physically sick but I managed to get through.

“No more marathons for me.”

He said everyone who had sponsored him to do seven marathons was still intending to pay their sponsorship.

• Bad cramps after 15 miles led Jacques Bernard of Bournemouth to narrowly miss out on his bid to break the record for running the event dressed as a fairy. He finished in 3.39.45.

He was raising money for local cancer charity the Willow Foundation and for the Steve Bernard Foundation, which helps young people through sport in memory of his late brother.

“It was unbelievable,” he said. “The crowds all the way round were cheering non-stop.

“Although I didn’t get the record, I did really enjoy it.”

• Carmel Ryan, from Bournemouth – who will also carry the Olympic Torch on a Dorset leg this summer – was chuffed with her time of 3.48.06.

The 44-year-old Littledown Harrier even met Olympic legend Colin Jackson at the finish line.

She said: “I wasn’t looking at the time as much as the pace I was running at.

“The end is always a bit hit-and-miss as you slow down.

“I could feel my toenails coming off.”

Carmel, who was looking forward to a glass of wine and a home-cooked meal, said: “The crowd was amazing. They really help to create a great atmosphere.”

This was Carmel’s third marathon and second in London.

• Peter Hellawell, of Littledown Harriers, was running to raise funds for Positive Action – a local charity supporting people living with HIV.

Peter, aged 48, who was diagnosed with HIV more than 25 years ago, has also been selected to carry the Olympic Torch on a Dorset leg this summer. He finished in 3.29.42.

He told the Daily Echo: “I loved it. I was aiming for 3.30 so I’m delighted. I’ve run quicker but I’m only just coming back from injury.

“I’m the chairman of Positive Action so I was running to raise awareness of the work we do supporting people with HIV.

“I stared out and felt really good. The heat was intense, they didn’t forecast this. I used every shower en-route. I just dived in to cool off.”

Peter, from Bournemouth, added: “I did my first marathon in 2004. When I ran my first marathon I was 40 years old and I’d been living with HIV for 20 years.

• Lisa Jordan, of Littledown Harriers running club, finished in 4.34.22. She was running for Cancer Research in memory of her best friend Julie Ritchie Evans, who worked at the Daily Echo.

“The weather was brilliant all the way around. It was a really good experience. I thought the last six miles were going to be horrendous but they weren’t as horrendous as I thought.

“I’m a little bit stiff but fine.”

• Serna Fooks, aged 27, of Littledown Harriers, from Southbourne, said: “I didn’t have a great run to be honest. I found it quite hard going. I didn’t enjoy it as much as some of the others.

“I was just glad to finish, it started to hurt quite bad after 10 miles.”

Her time was 04.27.35