A 13-year-old with brittle bone disease fought through pain and rain to scoop a win in Sunday’s mini-London marathon.
Jack Binstead, a pupil at Chessington Community College, came first in the 11 to 13 age group, despite fracturing a rib in the run up to the race.
His mum Penny said: “He was really chuffed. He really, really wanted to win, having come second last year. He trained really hard, right through the winter, but has had a few minor injuries.”
His fractured rib put him out of training for more than a week, leaving him about seven days to get into training again before the race.
Mrs Binstead said the rest may have helped him by giving him the break he needed to finish the three miles in 16 minutes 55 seconds - two minutes faster than the previous year.
Mrs Binstead said: “He was all grins at the end. It really meant a lot to him. He was soaked through because it was pouring it down, but he was on such a high.
“This coming year will be one of the most important for him so we want to make sure he does as many races as he can.”
England and Portsmouth goalkeeper David James was there to congratulate Jack at the finish line.
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