Singer Jake Quickenden said he felt “soaked to the bone” after running a rainy London Marathon dressed as a giant bone.
The former X-Factor contestant was raising money in memory of his younger brother Oliver, who died of bone cancer in 2012 at the age of 19, the same disease that killed their father four years earlier.
Quickenden said he felt “emotional” at the finish line after only ever running 11 miles beforehand, but he knew Oliver would have been “proud”.
The 34-year-old former Dancing On Ice champion, who was cheered on by his wife and sons, told the PA news agency: “I didn’t think I would get that emotional.
“As soon as I came over the line and saw the family at the finish and just how much it meant to everyone crossing the line, all the other runners, it was emotional.
“It was such an inspiring day.
“The amount of encouragement people give you on the streets, and the other runners.
“Everyone’s running for a reason and that really shone through… it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
On how Oliver would feel seeing him cross the finish line, he said: “He’d think I was an idiot, he always did.
“I feel like if you rest on your laurels and get comfortable you don’t really grow as a person.
“I think he’d be pretty proud.”
He added that running as a giant bone “didn’t make it easy” and his hip flexors felt “in other dimension” after carrying its weight for 26.2 miles, but it was worth it to hear people chanting “Sarcoma UK” and “Mr Bone”.
“As soon as it rained it got wet and double as heavy,” he said.
“But it’s a bit of a barrier as well, I felt like I could hide every now and then and get in the zone and give myself a bit of a pep talk.
“I think if I did it again, I definitely wouldn’t do it in fancy dress.”
His race raised more than £12,000 for Sarcoma UK.
