Monmouth has had a strong representation again at the world's largest fund-raising event, the London Marathon.

Runners from the Spirit of Monmouth Running Club were among the 37,500 amateur athletes, fun-runners and elite sportsmen taking part.

The club's coach, Allan Meek, came within the top 12 per cent of runners in under three hours 30 minutes, followed closely by Lucy Allen with a time of three hours 50 minutes.

Through its affiliation with Welsh Athletics, the running club is allocated a number of entries into the race and this year 10 competitors took part, raising several thousands of pounds for various local charities.

All of the competitors celebrated the completion of the gruelling 26-mile course at a medal ceremony at the Monmouth School Sports Club, where the club meets every Tuesday evening.

"The atmosphere of the London Marathon is just like the spirit of our running club," said club chairperson Sian Stroud.

"Whether you are a first-time fun-runner or more serious about personal best times, everyone is encouraged to enjoy the running experience in an inclusive way.

It is great to see all of the hard work and training that the competitors put in over the winter pay off."

More details on the Spirit of Monmouth Running Club can be found at the website

spiritofmonmouth.co.uk

Former Haberdashers' Monmouth School for Girls pupil Kate Stewart also completed the Virgin London Marathon, in a courageous time of just under six hours.

Kate was running as part of TeamPB, a group made up of 830 runners all raising money for the two most common forms of cancer in men and women; prostate and breast cancer.

In her first attempt at the event, Kate managed an impressive time of five hours and 55 minutes.

"I wanted to run it in five hours but at mile 19 I had a problem with my knee so I had to stop for treatment and massage, and had to run and walk from then on," she said.

"My family were there to support me, I saw them at mile 14 and mile 21, and my husband was there at the end. It is so important to have people there.

"I also saw people running in the same shirt as me as part of Team PB so we were able to support each other, there was a great team spirit."

Kate's sponsorship page is still open, and so far she has raised an amazing £5,882.28, but she needs a final push to reach her target of £6,000.

Visit uk.virginmoneygiving.com/katestewart to give as much as you can.

Kate has said on her fundraising page: "I desperately want to raise as much money as I can so that anyone facing a cancer diagnosis has access to the best treatment, the best support and the best research and information available when they need it most."

After the marathon, Kate said: "Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout this amazing experience – it was phenomenal and I am wearing my medal with pride."