A Watford supermarket manager ran a personal record at the London Marathon, less than a year after donating a kidney to his wife.

Asda manager Andrew Holmes completed the 26.2 mile on Sunday, alongside colleague and line manager Graham Williamson.

The pair had aimed to get in under the four hour mark but were slowed down by the blazing sunshine.

Mr Holmes said: “We finished which is a positive, the amount of people dropping out on the side of the road was incredible.

“If it wasn't for the crowds I'm sure 50 per cent of the remaining runners would have had a worse time, the people were fantastic, everyone was cheering you on and offering you sweets.

“I was really lucky as I chose to wear a white cap, and every time I got to the water station or shower I was making sure I completely soaked myself to keep cool.

“We went through the half way mark at about 2:01 so we knew we weren't on track for under four hours, my watch says I did it in 4:13:56 which was fast enough for me and a personal best.”

Andrew’s wife Claire Catney was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease, a genetic illness that affects the function of the organs last year.

After tests, Andrew was found to be a perfect match and agreed to donate one of his own kidneys to her and the successful operation took place at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead.

He added: “It’s one of those things you could sit there and get yourself in a real state about, losing a kidney. But in reality, I just never thought about it. There was no decision to take.”

Mr Holmes and Mr Williamson are aiming to raise £5,000 for the Royal Free Hospital’s Kidney Patient Association and £7,000 for Asda’s national breast cancer campaign Tickled Pink.

The 43-year-old said: “Between mile 20-23 there was some serious willpower going on, but afterwards my wife looked at me and said 'are you sure you ran that race, you're not even sweating'.”