Children born with underdeveloped eyes will benefit from more than £1,000 raised by a marathon runner.

Daniel McPhillip’s, from Parkside Way, North Harrow, took part in his second 26 mile race and 14th race on Sunday, April 26 when he tackled the Virgin London Marathon.

The 21-year-old completed the course, that takes runners through the capital, in a time of four hours and 59 minutes.

He said: “It was a very special experience, because there were so many people lining the course and people were cheering my name.

“My first marathon was in Milton Keynes, so I was almost prepared to run this one as you’re not going into it unprepared – you know what aches and pains you’ll feel.

“I’m very pleased with myself. It is a hard challenge and it’s not like any other race – you really have to push yourself and work hard.”

The keen runner, who hopes to tackle his next marathon later this year, has now raised more than £1,300 for MACS, the Micro and Anophthalmic Children’s Society for children born without eyes or with underdeveloped eyes.

He said: “I wanted to run for charity and took about a month to look through all the different ones and pick one I felt I could make a difference to.

“It’s a small charity but I realised it does a lot of good work and I wanted to help support it and publicise what they do.

“Families with case studies were contacting me, and told me all the things the money can go towards so I’m pleased I made them my choice.”

The money raised can go towards items such as scented crayons or activities to encourage speech such as singing lessons.

After taking a day off to recover, Daniel says he now hopes to get his running shoes back on and get ready for the next race.

He added: “Yes I’ve definitely got the running bug. I’ve been running for about five years before this race, and it is something I really enjoy.

“I’m already looking forward to taking on my next challenge.”

Visit Daniel McPhillip's sponsorship page here: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=DanielMcPhillips