A FATHER of seven was hoping to be able to put his feet up and relax after spending part of his weekend running up and down a mountain for a good cause.

Instead, he joked, his wife had other ideas and had him out working in the garden rather than letting him rest after his 26.2 mile challenge in aid of coronavirus patients.

Chrissy Burgess spent all day Saturday running up and down a mountain in Varteg in a bid to raise money for patients at Nevill Hall Hospital in Abergavenny.

He managed to raise nearly £1,300 - and there is still time to donate with his online fundraising page staying open until this weekend.

The money raised will buy essential products including toiletries and sanitary items which patients are struggling to get because visitors are not being let into the hospital.

Mr Burgess admitted he was feeling a little bit stiff on Monday, but not as bad as he’d expected to feel after the run.

And insisted he didn’t mind helping out in the garden after his marathon as he feared he would stiffen up even more if he stayed still for too long.

He said: “It was quite a lot harder than I’d expected it to be. It was boiling. I really could not have picked a hotter day to run.

“I didn’t set off until 11am so I was running in the height of the sun. I was absolutely cooking.”

But his family were on hand to keep him hydrated and fed as they set up a special food station outside their home for every time he returned.

He managed to run the marathon during lockdown by sticking to one form of exercise and ran no further than 1.5 miles from his home.

Mr Burgess explained before setting off: “The marathon will be up and down, down and up, and up and down, the mountain that I live on in sets of three mile round trips to make up the full 26.2 miles.”

After the challenge he said: “It was all for a very good cause. Having seven children, we have spent quite a lot of time at Nevill Hall.

“I am humbled by everyone’s support.”