A SOUTH Cumbria contingent proudly pounded the streets of the capital as they defeated the London Marathon and collectively raised more than £40,000 for charity.

The impressive group of runners from Barrow, Ulverston and Millom were taking part for a host of worthy causes.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry stood at the side of the gruelling 26.2-mile course to salute the heroics of some 40,000 racers.

They dished out high-fives and selfies to the crowds, having earlier started the event by pressing a large red button.

As runners began to pour over the finishing line in the afternoon sunshine, stories of personal triumphs emerged.

From Barrow, Dan Hayes, John Appleton, Christine Adams, Barbara Hodgson, Fiona Bannister and Phillip Morris completed the run.

From Ulverston, Joanne McLeod, Patty Davies, Kelly Taylor, Julia Byrne, Julie Cavin and Gary Dover finished the marathon.

From Askam, both Paul Milburn and Aimee Goodings finished, while Dave Edwards, Julie Wagstaff and Marie Sullivan all from Walney also passed the finishing line.

From Millom, Gemma Bosanko, Kayleigh Johns, Rebecca Cummings and Simon Donnelly received medals, while others; David Marr, Mark Lehrle and Dom Pope also finished.

Barrow PC Dave Edwards, 48, completed the race in under three hours, finishing in 1,063rd place out of approximately 40,000 runners.

He said: "It was hot, very hot out there today.

"Last year it was a bit overcast and there was a bit of a breeze, but there was none of that this time.

"I was two minutes slower than last year but I'm 12 months older so I can't complain too much."

Dave Edwards was less than 30 minutes behind Barrow-born elite runner Chris Thompson, who came 30th overall with a time of 2:24:11.

Barrow Fire station manager Paul Milburn took part in the race wearing his full fire kit, weighing four stone, and completed the challenge in six hours, 16 minutes, 31 seconds.

After raising over £8,000 for the Fire Fighters Charity, he said: "It was just an amazing experience. The support from all the spectators was outstanding.

"I'm very pleased with my time. To just finish was an accomplishment.

"The last three miles were tough and it was heavy on my shoulders, but the supporters were a great boost and got me through."

Barrow's Fiona Bannister, 38, raised money for St Mary's Hospice in Ulverston, and completed the race in four hours, 35 minutes and 57 seconds.

She said: "I'm really pleased with my time. The crowds were amazing and really helped me keep going."

Dan Hayes, raising money for Motor Neurone Disease Association, battled through a pulled hamstring at the 16 mile mark to finish the course.

He said: "It was absolutely amazing. It was one of my life's ambitions and now I've actually done it.

"The support was phenomenal and it actually moved me to tears in parts, especially when I saw my wife at the side.

"It was such a surreal atmosphere."

The group were joined on the course by a number of celebrities including former Top Gear host Chris Evans, Olympic rowing gold medalists Heather Stanning and Helen Glover, and football presenter Mark Chapman.

Hundreds of police were on duty to keep about 800,000 spectators and runners safe, barely a month after crowds were targeted in the Westminster terror attack.

Armed officers watched over the crowds, while steel road barriers straddled the entrance to key roads along the route, including The Mall.

Organisers said a total of 40,382 people collected their race packs on Saturday, meaning the 37th event was set to outstrip last year's record of 39,140 competitors.

World records were being attempted by about 50 runners, including the fastest marathon in a sleeping bag and fastest marathon in Wellington boots.

FINISHING TIMES (alphabetical order)

Christine Adams (Barrow) 4:12:50,

John Appleton (Barrow) 5:58:27,

Fiona Bannister (Barrow) 4:35:57,

Gemma Bosanko (Millom) 3:46:22,

Julie Cavin and Julia Byrne (Barrow) 4:29:59,

Rebecca Cummings (Millom) 6:27:21,

Patty Davies (Ulverston) 4:35:21,

Simon Donnelly (Millom) 7:15:26,

Gary Dover (Ulverston) 3:42:50,

Dave Edwards (Barrow) 2:53:26,

Aimee Goodings (Askam) 5:08:52,

Dan Hayes (Barrow) 5:18:47,

Barbara Hodgson (Barrow) 5:06:49,

Kayleigh Johns (Millom) 5:57:55,

Mark Lehrle (Barrow) 3:04:12,

David Marr (Barrow) 4:35:14,

Joanne McLeod (Ulverston) 3:48:41,

Paul Milburn (Askam) 6:16:31,

Phillip Morris (Barrow) 3:34:59,

Dom Pope 4:5:52,

Marie Sullivan (Barrow) 5:25:59,

Kelly Taylor (Ulverston) 6:26:10,

Chris Thompson (Barrow) ELITE 2:24:11,

Julie Wagstaff (Barrow) 5:09:20.

Olesia Winder completed the final three miles of the route in the junior event, finishing in 18:43, after being selected to represent the North West in the England team.