A MAN hailing from Rhyl successfully completed the London Marathon for a second consecutive year on Sunday (April 21), again raising thousands for charity in doing so.

Connor Whelan, a 29-year-old property investor, completed the marathon in three hours and 48 minutes, raising more than £2,350 for mental health charity Mind in the process.

It follows his efforts 12 months ago, when he ran the marathon for the first time in four hours and 21 minutes, raising more than £4,000 for Mind on that occasion.

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Rhyl man raises thousands for charity by running London Marathon

Last year, Connor was inspired to support the charity and run the marathon after his friend and former football team-mate, Jamie Wynne, took his life in September 2022 at the age of 28.

Supported by his family in London, and running with his cousin, James, Connor “smashed” his 2023 time by some 33 minutes.

He said: “I felt much stronger for it this year – I’ve gone very boring, because I haven’t drank alcohol since New Year’s Eve!

“I didn’t stop running once, and I felt like I grew into it, although the last two miles were absolute hell. They felt like running from Llandudno to Liverpool!

“I think I enjoyed it more this year; last year, I didn’t know what to expect, and didn’t realise how tough it actually is, even though I thought I’d prepared pretty well for it last year.

“On Sunday, it was like a big family affair; it wasn’t a case of me just going for a run and then coming home - all of the family got behind us.”

Connor will follow this up by running the Berlin Marathon for a different charity in September.

For support, contact Samaritans on 116 123.