Sam MacLeod will kick running a marathon round a rugby pitch into touch when lockdown ends.

It took him just under four hours to cover 88 laps of a field, raising £847 for St Ann’s Hospice in the process.

Sam is looking forward to when he can join other runners in his second marathon, either in London or Manchester.

Even before Sam set off, he already knew virtually every blade of grass on the pitch near his Cheadle Hulme home.

The 17-year-old had trained there every Saturday, gradually increasing his distance to 35km before his marathon run in memory of Joanne Hemsley.

Joanne died at St Ann’s in May 2019 and was a friend of his mum Gail, who was there to cheer him over the finish line, along with dad Mike and elder brothers Chris and Jack.

Sam said: “I was going to do it for the NHS but a lot of people have donated to them. St Ann’s is local and I drive past the hospice all the time to my nana and grandad who live round the corner.

“St Ann’s has had no fundraising events because of Covid-19, so I thought I’d raise money for the hospice.

“The marathon was tough mentally and the heat made it difficult, even though I started at 7am.”