RUSSELL Taylor Group’s marathon man Ben Evans has smashed his fundraising goal in his successful completion of one of the UK’s most challenging charity events.

Principal recruitment consultant Ben, 34, has so far raised more than £1,300 for Children with Cancer UK after finishing the London Marathon in an impressive time of three hours 25 minutes.

His target figure for the charity that funds life-saving research for children with cancer was £1,000.

After the race, he said: “It was tough but was by far the best atmosphere I have experienced. The whole 26 miles of the route was lined with people supporting every single runner.”

Ben (pictured in the white running vest) was among more than 40,000 competitors in this year’s London Marathon when they ran from the outskirts of the city, across Tower Bridge, along the Thames Embankment, past Westminster and to the finishing line in front of Buckingham Palace.

Cheering him on his way were his parents, wife Sally and new baby Zac, aged 12 weeks.

The London Marathon was Ben’s latest fundraiser to bring in much-needed money for children’s charities. His previous efforts for Claire House children’s hospice on Wirral included swimming the full length of Lake Windermere, covering a distance of 11 miles in six hours in the Windermere One Way challenge, followed two weeks later by the Chester Marathon which he completed in a time of three hours 34 minutes.

He’s also been part of the Russell Taylor Group teams taking part in the Tough Mudder challenge.

Becoming a father for the first time re-enforced Ben’s belief in the importance of supporting children’s charities and the vital work they do.

He said: “Having recently had my first child, all my efforts in training for, and then running, the London Marathon have been aimed at bringing hope and joy to as many families as possible.

“I’ve had tremendous support from family, friends and colleagues at Russell Taylor Group. Thanks to them all, my fundraising target has not only been reached but exceeded.”

Russell Taylor Group managing director Rob Kurton added: “Ben’s finishing time was truly impressive, completing the marathon in three hours 25 minutes when the global average for this race is around four hours 21 minutes.

“It speaks volumes about his commitment to doing his absolute best in this tough challenge, to the hard work he put into his training and to the amazing amount he’s so far raised for his chosen charity.”

Donations can still be made to Ben’s JustGiving page to boost his fundraising even further. Go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ben-evans-london-marathon