Army Benevolent fund

36 runners laced up their trainers and ran the Flora London Marathon on 13 April for the ABF, raising money for soldiers, veterans and their families in need. It is hoped the runners will raise over £48,000 between them for the soldiers' charity.

Among the runners were retired Army colonels Paul and Peter French who celebrate their 70th birthday on the 15 April, just two days after the Marathon. They reached the finish line in an impressive 4 hours 46 minutes. Paul and Peter are both veteran marathon runners and have clocked up a total of 28 marathons between them.

Sgt Lee Dyson, 32 is currently serving with the Army in JHQ Rheindahlen, Germany as part of Defence Equipment and Support and ran the Flora London Marathon in 3 hours 45 minutes for the ABF. He is supporting the ABF as he feels strongly about the cause the charity supports, especially in light of current operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Another soldier ran for the ABF, a long way from the masses of runners in London. In Helmand Province, Afghanistan, Para Major Alan Jarvis, aged 33 of the Royal Engineers, ran his own marathon by running 38 circuits of his base in Lashkar Gah, which is equivalent to 26 miles. Maj Jarvis did this in just six hours in body armour, weighing around 10 kg. He began his impressive fundraiser at 5am to avoid the intense heat of the midday sun.

"The London Marathon is a feature in the calendar and just because I am deployed in Afghanistan, I don't believe it should stop me taking part in my own way. I'm really pleased to have finished the course, it was quite tough going at times, but I pushed through."