TAKING on the London Marathon in memory of a friend, Shaun Merchant, 33, from Bude, raised an incredible £9,000 and completed the course in 4:35:23.

Shaun took on the iconic challenge in memory of his friend Jay Osbourne, who died on father’s day last year, aged 28, from an undiagnosed hereditary heart condition called ARVC, a rare disease of the heart muscle.

Jay had been out running when he collapsed and was found by two policemen. He left behind his fiancée Sam and son Remmie, who was only a couple of months old.

Jay’s family is in the process of being tested for the condition and his brother has been fitted with a defibrillator. Remmie will also need to be tested in the future.

This is why Shaun decided to use his marathon attempt to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation (BHF). He was among more than 400 ‘Heart Runners’ who took to the streets of London as a united front against heart disease.

After crossing the finish line, Shaun said: “Taking part in the London Marathon was a huge challenge and an incredible experience. The atmosphere on the day was brilliant and I am proud to have been part of the Heart Runners team for such an iconic event. Knowing I was running for a wonderful charity made me determined to succeed.

“It was fantastic to have everyone there cheering me on and to know that my sponsorship money will help the BHF raise funds for life saving research to bring new hope to the seven-million people living with heart and circulatory disease in the UK.”