RUNNING BRIDE & GROOM

MARATHON WEDDING

A British couple got married by exchanging vows while running the London marathon. Rachel Pitt and Garry Keates took a detour 24 miles into the race to jog down the aisle. Mr Keates, 44, and his bride, 37, exchanged vows and chatted to friends and family before completing the final 2.2 miles hand-in-hand as man and wife.

The pair slogged it out in the heat wearing modified wedding outfits - a top hat and tails for the groom, and a short dress and floral headpiece for the bride.

Mr Keates, a fireman and father of four, had already run the marathon five times but it was his fiancée's first attempt. Miss Pitt, a dental nurse, said she struggled hard in the heat, but added: "Garry really spurred me, I needed lots of encouragement. It was really tough. "There were moments when I just wanted to go home and wondered why we'd put ourselves through this. But I hadn't given myself any choice. I had to do it."

Mr Keates had enough strength left to carry his bride over the finishing line as she flung her bouquet into the crowd. She added: "It's been the best day of my life, but I'll never do it again."