ABERAERON solicitor John Gwynne Hughes was among almost 6,000 runners who took part in the first ATB Newport Marathon on Sunday.

The 48-year-old – who was running in aid of Cancer Research Wales – completed his first marathon in the highly respectable time of three hours, 26 minutes.

But Mr Gwynne Hughes revealed afterwards that his first marathon would also be his last!

“I’m delighted with the achievement, but I’m never doing one again,” he told the Cambrian News.

“My time at the halfway point was ahead of the times I’d posted in my previous half-marathons, so I was very pleased with my pace.

“I maintained my target pace until mile 22 when I hit the wall and the last 4.2 miles were hell. For the first 20 miles I’d been doing around seven-and-a-half minutes per mile.”

Mr Gwynne Hughes was running in memory of his grandparents who both died from cancer. 

His fellow workers at the family solicitor business plan on walking the length of the coastal path in Ceredigion during the summer to raise additional funds for Cancer Research.

Donations can be made at www.justgiving­.com/fundraising/john-gwynne-hughes