Marathon dad beaten by kids

John McBurney, aged 42, pitted himself against a relay team running continuous laps round the field at St Mary’s Academy, Stotfold, where his daughter, Mabel, is a pupil.

Children were encouraged to join in as part of the relay team, alongside parents, including John’s wife, Kate.

For a small donation, children were allowed to dress up or wear sporty clothes.

John, who has been running for about 12 years and ran the 2014 London Marathon for Cancer Research UK, described himself as “very competitive”.

But despite running for six hours on the day, he was beaten by the children and parents, who succeeded in running 507 laps compared to John’s 412 laps – the equivalent of over 40 miles.

John said: “The Dad vs School event was an amazing success. The children were so enthusiastic and I totally underestimated how quickly they would run. The school clearly beat me.”

The event raised just over £450, which will be spent on sports and play equipment.