Tonkinson's marathon effort

Paul Tonkinson completed his first London Marathon on Sunday, finishing the 26-mile course in 3hr 31min.

The comic was one of 800 people running in aid of homeless charity Shelter, which raised around £1million in sponsorship on the day.

Former Big Breakfast host Tonkinson said: "I grew up amongst lots of homelessness and poor housing in Yorkshire, where there is still an acute problem, so it seemed logical for me to run for Shelter.

"It was tough, but helped by some funny sights along the way - Shelter's 'running nun' made me laugh!"

Meanwhile, Borunemouth-based stand-up Mr Jug completed his first marathon in 5hrs 52mins, telling 1,000 gags on the way.

Running to celebrate the life of his sister Sonia, who died of cancer in 2001, he said: "Telling the jokes and running the race wasn't too difficult, it was getting used to the applause and shouts of encouragement that took a bit of time."

Published: 16 Apr 2003