Retired headteacher Dic Evans ended his mammoth charity challenge of running 1,000 miles during lockdown with a finale at Aberystwyth promenade on Friday.

The 73-year-old has been running an average of 10 miles a day for 100 days and has raised nearly £9,000 for the chemotherapy unit at Bronglais Hospital.

He is keeping his JustGiving page open for at least another month as donations continue to come in from as far afield as America, Canada and France.

Dic said in the last couple of weeks of the challenge he had found it quite hard going. He has had shin splints and is suffering from sciatica.

“I was in a lot of pain,” he said. “On one or two days I could only do three-quarters of a mile.

“But the messages that came in with donations were fantastic, as was the support of family and friends. So I had to keep going.

“There have been donations from past pupils, including some I taught over 40 years ago, and their parents. It has been so touching.

“I feel I have used lockdown to good purpose. I have been lucky that the weather has in the main been lovely. Though my running has been in isolation, I have seen beautiful flowers, heard the birds sing and looked at the wonderful sunsets of Cardigan Bay.”

The veteran was joined by other runners for his final four-mile run on Friday and he was cheered on by supporters at the finish line by Aberystwyth’s bandstand.

Dic, who lives in Abermagwr, in the Ystwyth Valley, wanted to raise money for the Bronglais chemo unit after his partner was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

A keen runner most of his life, Dic has for the last 17 years organised an annual trail race, The Red Kite Challenge, to raise money for Bronglais Hospital.

This year the recipient was to have been the Bronglais Chemo Appeal, but the trail event has had to be postponed because of Covid-19.

So Dic decided to do his own fundraiser and pledged to run 1,000 miles, starting at the beginning of lockdown on 23 March.

Dic added: “I have seen how much care the staff of the Bronglais Chemo Day Unit give to patients after my partner Liz Hughes was diagnosed with ovarian cancer last summer. They are so good, amazing. I wanted to help them.”

Dic says he will now relax for about a fortnight but will still run every day, even if it is just a short jog.

“I haven’t missed a day for over 40 years. I think I will do myself more damage if I stop,” he said.

You can still donate to Dic’s fundraiser here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/dic-evans107