A RUNNER is nursing his battered feet back to health after completing seven marathons in seven days.

John Wortley, 27, of Church Road in Clacton, pushed his body to the limit with the massive endurance challenge in memory of his dad.

He completed each marathon in a different county, mapping out the routes himself and using a GPS watch to measure the 26.2-mile distance.

John organised the week of races to raise cash for Cancer Research UK and to pay tribute to his dad Tony, who died aged 72 after a struggling with cancer.

The weary runner said: “It wasn’t quite as bad as I thought it would be.

“Some days were harder than others and it started to get very tough around the 20-mile mark each day.

“My feet were pretty sore each night and my ankles gave me a lot of grief from the word go.

“I ended up with tendonitis in my knee and ankles but it was all worth it in the end.

“I didn’t want to let anyone down, so I pushed on and I had a huge sense of relief when I crossed the final finish line.”

A big group of family and friends gathered to cheer John across the finish line of the final route in Lowestoft.

John has already raised nearly £1,500. People can still sponsor him by visiting justgiving.com/john-wortley