RUNNER Anthony Kane crossed the finishing line of the New York Marathon and was catapulted into the record books, as part of the largest charity team to compete in the event.

The 400-strong team had been training and fundraising for four months with the aim of raising £250,000 for the Get Kids Going! charity for disabled youngsters.

Mr Kane, 47, who lives in Chippenham, completed the 26.2 miles on November 4 in five hours and seven minutes, despite suffering from diabetes. The doctor told him he could make the run as long as he took care, and he was sponsored by the surgery.

"If I didn't have diabetes I would have run much faster," he said.

Mr Kane started running in 1976, and has never looked back. "I started by running a few miles a day, and over the years have run over 65,000 miles," he said. "I should really be in the record books for that.

"I believe I am one of the fittest people aged 47 in the world, and I look the same now as I did 20 years ago."

Mr Kane, whose niece lives just a few blocks away from where the World Trade Centre once stood, described the atmosphere in New York during the marathon as very tense but happy.

He expects to raise more than £2,000 from participating in the marathon, all of which will be donated to Get Kids Going!

Asked how he feels having completed the marathon, he said: "I'm really proud, and I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who sponsored me."

Mr Kane is well versed in running for charity, and has raised more than £12,000 in the past 12 years. He has supported more than 70 charities including Guide Dogs for the Blind and the British Heart Foundation.

He participated in the Great North Run several years ago, and cycled to Scotland in four and a half days to raise money for a school for the handicapped.

All 400 members of the Get Kids Going! team completed the marathon, and the atmosphere after the run was described as excruciatingly happy.

Jane Emmerson, chief executive of Get Kids Going!, said of Mr Kane: "He's the Wiltshire equivalent of Forrest Gump we think he's great and we love him to bits."

Mr Kane now plans to tackle the London marathon, and would eventually like to walk from Lands End to John O' Groats.