'I've done my first marathon for my friend – at 69'

A 69-year-old man has completed his first marathon in memory of a long-time friend who died last year.

Andrew Russell-Webster, from North Scarle in Lincolnshire, near the Nottinghamshire border, took on the London Marathon to raise money and awareness for the Huntington's Disease Association following the death of a friend of 45 years.

Andrew said he had previously taken part only in park runs, but he wanted to challenge himself to show his support for Julie Brown's family.

"If what I do makes more people aware of the difficulties faced by those affected by Huntington's disease then I feel I have done some good," he added.

Andrew said he and Julie's husband, Simon, met at work in the 1980s and had been best friends ever since, with the two families enjoying holidays together over the years.

He said: "Fundraising is important as it is my way of showing support to Simon and his two daughters while honouring Julie's memory.

"I want people to be informed about Huntington's, and what it does, and I want the families and friends of those impacted by this disease to have support to help them."

On taking part in his first marathon, he said he was fine "as long as I don't sit down".

"In all honesty, I wished I'd done this 40 years ago," he said.

"I like to think I am still in my 30s but I'm not, and consequently the body takes longer to recover."

He said the support and encouragement he had received from the running community was fantastic.

"It was a tremendous experience – just an amazing day."

Simon said he was "super proud" of his friend for helping to raise the profile of the charity.

"I don't know how he does it," he added.

"Because Huntington's disease is not well understood by many people, the help we received... made us feel that we were not on our own."

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