LONG distance runner Rod Palmer successfully completed the gruelling 145-mile Birmingham to London race over the Bank Holiday.

The Handy Cross Runner completed the race along the towpath of The Grand Union Canal in just 35 hours and 12 minutes to come first in the Over 60 category and take seventh place overall.

Palmer, who won it the first two times he competed, said: "It was sheer relief when I finished.

"You can't sleep at all. If you stop for more than 45 minutes, you're out of the race so you just have to battle on.

"I'd had four non-finishes before so I didn't think I'd ever do it again but I set myself a slower pace and it got me round."

The 60-year-old from Hazlemere, who smashed the age-group record by eight hours, said he couldn't have done it without the help of his support team wife Margo, daughter Katy and her boyfriend Steve Miller, and clubmates Mike Hickman and Debbie Ridout.

Palmer, who has now competed seven times, said: "You have to run on your own for the first 70 miles and then someone can run along with you, though only one at a time.

"Once or twice, I felt I'd had enough and wanted to go home but my support team said retirement was out of the question.

"The next one would start me off walking and then get me running again. Basically, they bullied me round."

Palmer, who was even in work on Tuesday, said he saw the event as a challenge.

He said: "This is 5 marathons back to back. You can't really train for it.

"I started doing half marathons and then marathons and then I did a 40-mile event.

"I was just looking for something bigger to do and this was the one.

"It was a good weekend. We had a bit of a laugh."

Palmer, who confessed one ankle is now twice the size of the other, said he got some funny looks from people out walking along the towpath.

He said: "They asked me what I was doing and so I said I was running to London. They asked me when I was stopping and I said I would be running all the way until I got there.

"They thought I was crazy."