In the long run

But he puts his time down to the fact that he caught a cold from someone on the plane journey to the Big Apple, and he could not believe his bad luck, because he says he never gets sick.

The time of his run did not detract anything from Mr Chant's first trip to New York though, and he says he had an fantastic time and was swept away by the atmosphere of taking part in one of the world's biggest and most famous marathons.

Mr Chant, 29, who works for WHSmith in Swindon, said: "When you are in the London Marathon you get people occasionally shouting out encouragement, but in New York they were really going for it.

"You have your name printed on your shirt, so as I was running along all these people kept shouting, 'Go for it Ian,' or 'Keep going Ian.'

"The whole atmosphere was absolutely fantastic."

After landing in New York, he went straight to the YMCA, where he was staying, to try to settle down for the night.

But, as he was in the city that never sleeps, the noise and hustle and bustle outside rarely abated and he did not get any sleep in preparation for the run.

On Saturday, November 4, the day before the race, he joined with thousands of other runners from all over the world to meet each other and key themselves up for the forthcoming event.

"Everyone was cheering and shouting, the whole atmosphere was completely over the top and absolutely brilliant."

He was up at the crack of dawn on Sunday morning, to catch one of the first buses leaving from the centre of the city, to take the runners out to the starting point of the race at 5.30am.

Once all the runners were in the start position, near the Statue of Liberty, at around 11am, they set off across the Verrazano Bridge, over a punishing 26.2 mile route around New York, before finishing at Central Park.

Mr Chant, back at his desk in Swindon, said: "It feels like the whole thing was just a dream. It was an amazing experience."

An athletic married couple turned the marathon into a £3,200 boost for a children's charity

Trevor and Elaine Whittle's two-year-old son, Connor, was born with brain difficulties.

He and his parents have benefited from the help and advice of SCOPE, formerly known as the Spastics' Society.

Trevor began running to raise money for SCOPE and both he and Elaine ran in New York for Dreams Come True, which gives ill and disabled children their dearest wishes.

Trevor, 33, is manager-partner of Spillers Furnishings in Victoria Road, while Elaine, 32, is company secretary there.

The couple, from north Swindon, have another child, seven-year-old Emma-Louise.

Trevor said: "I started running two-and-a-half years ago and my wife started in March of this year.

"I did the three peaks Ben Nevis, Scafell and Snowdon two years ago for SCOPE.

"After that, I was looking for something else to do.

"Our little boy was born with some brain problems and that's what started off the running.

"It motivated me to get off my backside and do something."

The Whittles arranged their places in the marathon through notices in a magazine for runners.

And, like many of their fellow runners, they say the New York crowds made the experience unforgettable.

Trevor explained: "We ran through the boroughs of New York, and every borough told a different story.

"In Brooklyn and the Bronx, there was a party atmosphere.

"After we crossed the Queensboro Bridge into Queens, we turned a corner into Manhattan and the reaction of the crowd was quite something.

"The Americans really do get right behind you."

Trevor completed the race in three and a half hours, while Elaine took an hour longer. She said: "Everybody was friendly, even when we were waiting for the start.

"It is something I'll do once, not do again and never forget.

"I proved to myself and a lot of other people that I could do it, but I think from now on I'll just mind my husband's carrier bag of clothes while he runs!"

Veteran marathon runner Chris Kirkland said the New York Marathon was a tremendous experience.

Mr Kirkland, who is Wootton Bassett's sports development officer and celebrates his 60th birthday this month, was the 11,895th person to cross the finishing line.

His finishing time was four hours, six minutes and 38 seconds slower than his previous seven marathons but Mr Kirkland knew it wouldn't be a speedy affair.

"It was less than I had hoped for but when you run the course it is very difficult to achieve a good time because of the volume of people running with you.

"It took more than 20 minutes just to do the first two miles because there were so many runners.

"The weather was cold so people wore lots of clothes and were chucking them off left, right and centre, which didn't help."

But he said he took part for the enjoyment rather than the competition.

"The day before the marathon I did a five-mile international friendship run, in which 10,000 people ran from the United Nations building to Central Park. We had a picnic in the park and it was a tremendous experience."

This was the first time Mr Kirkland, a former deputy head teacher of Wootton Bassett School, had run in New York.

He has taken part in the London marathon six times and the Rotterdam event once.

This year he raised £1,500 for the charity Get Kids Going, which buys equipment to enable disabled children to take part in sport.

A SIMPLE decision to get fit led Ian Robinson to run a marathon in front of two million cheering New Yorkers.

Ian, 24, from The Dormers in Highworth, ran the course in four and a half hours.

Currently an office temp, but looking for work to suit his qualification in librarianship, he has been running for two years.

At first he ran from one local village to the next, then completed his first major challenge, the 1998 London Marathon.

He said: "I started running because I needed to get fit.

"I began with short jogs and then moved on to running to the local villages, then the London Marathon."

Ian won his place in the New York race after replying to a notice in a running magazine.

By completing the race, he raised £300 for one of his favourite charities, Kids Get Going, which helps children with disabilities.

The marathon took him through five areas of America's greatest city Queens, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Staten Island.

Like all of the runners from the Swindon area, he will never forget the reception provided by the estimated two million people lining the streets.

He said: "There were people cheering along the way, and there were a lot of volunteer helpers.

"American people are really friendly and nice.

"A lot of the runners were dressed up one couple even got married during the race.

"They stopped at the 16-mile point and exchanged vows.

"During the run, there was quite a headwind.

"To get through the marathon, you need to have motivation.

"Motivation is the key factor."

With his medal safely back home in Highworth, Ian his considering his future marathon options.

But there is one thing he knows for sure: "I'll be taking a rest for a while!"