ACHES and pains could not dampen the euphoria of the Worcestershire men and women who ran in the London Marathon on Sunday.

Despite physical exhaustion, runners said they were buoyed by the crowds who lined the 26.2-mile route and cheered and clapped them on.

"It was absolutely brilliant - the crowds were singing and dancing and that's what gets you round," said Dave Barnett, aged 37, who hit his target for his first marathon of under five hours by running it in 4hrs and 41mins.

"The best bit was when I came round into the Mall and I put on a sprint to the finish and everyone stood up and waved and clapped."

Mr Barnett, a team leader at Yamazaki Mazak, who lives at Rushwick, said another highlight had been passing Steve Redgrave at the 18-mile mark.

"I turned round and told him to get a move on," said Mr Barnett, who raised £1,000 for the Micro and Anophthalmic Children's Society, which helps youngsters with under-developed or no eyes.

Sgt Andy Milton, of Lower Wick, a soldier serving with the Queen's Royal Hussars Tank Regiment ran the marathon in 3hrs 9mins.

"I'd like to have got under three hours but I made sure I enjoyed the day and took in the atmosphere, which was thrilling," said the 36-year-old father-of-two.

"The crowds keep you going - they make it enjoyable. My wife, Nicola, was also a huge support on the day."

Sgt Milton, who is based at the Army Career's Office in Worcester's Foregate Street, decided to run the race for PACT - Parents Association for Children with Tumours - after his 11-year-old godson contracted stomach cancer.

Another Worcester runner with a very respectable time was 27-year-old Laura Smith, of St Peter's, who ran her second marathon in 3hrs 17mins 52 seconds.

"I struggled from 17 to 20 miles but after about 21 miles I got my second wind and felt really good," said Miss Smith, who does a lot of competitive running with the Worcester Athletics Club, including half-marathons and 10km races.

The sales office manager with Worcester Heat Systems was "thrilled" to beat her time of 3hrs 24mins for the 1997 London Marathon, and also managed to raise £1,000 for the new Acorns Children's Hospice being built in Worcester.

St Mary's Convent teacher Andrew Howe ran his eighth London Marathon in 3hrs 33mins and said the crowds and the atmosphere were "indescribable".

The 42-year-old, from Warndon Villages, was running in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital, after his son Robert, now 14, underwent emergency surgery at the hospital at just three months old.