A VISUALLY impaired 33-year-old man battled past a 'rollercoaster of emotions' and 'burning' pain to cross the Virgin Money London Marathon finish line.

Mark Rogerson, who works at Betfred's head office in Birchwood as a content assistant, stepped up to the challenge with sister Sarah Birkett on April 24.

The St Helens resident had surgery to fix both of his retinas in 2013 but subsequently lost all sight in his right eye and suffered scarring in the left.

He completed the 26.2-mile feat in aid of The Royal National Institute of Blind People, with almost £4,000 raised for the charity so far.

Mark and Sarah dedicated around 20 weeks of their time to training and it paid off after he crossed the line with a time of 5h 38m 46secs.

He said: "I was really worried about not finishing so to get over the line was great.

"But I could not have done it without Sarah – we crossed the line together and stayed with each other throughout the race to keep each other going.

"We stopped around 17 miles in as my legs were burning so I had to stretch.

"It was a tough mental battle – I did not expect it to be as difficult as it was.

"I went through a rollercoaster of emotions but it was an amazing experience.

"After the marathon I thought I wouldn't be doing it again but the next day I changed my mind – I will be doing the marathon next year."

For further information about the charity visit rnib.org.uk