Francis Benali: Southampton stalwart runs garden marathon

Francis Benali has run a marathon in his garden to raise money for charities supporting the NHS.

The former Southampton defender covered the 26.2 miles on a treadmill - in place of the cancelled London Marathon - as part of the 2.6 Challenge.

Along the way, Benali was "joined" by ex-teammate Matt Le Tissier for a remote five-mile (8km) stint.

Benali's efforts raised more than £13,000 for NHS Charities Together and the Saints foundation.

Le Tissier tweeted he was taking a "hot bath" following his exertions, while his friend continued to run.

After completing the challenge in just under five hours, Benali said he was suffering "a few aches and pains".

"The most I'd run in the build-up was 6.2 miles, so it was far from ideal preparations to run that sort of distance, but the weather was beautiful so it was just a case of getting through it.

"I'm overwhelmed - at these uncertain times, it's wonderful people dig deep and donate."

In 2019, he raised more than £1m for Cancer Research UK by completing five Ironman triathlons in a week.

Benali admitted he had been "close to flying off the treadmill" on a few occasions, including when his wife Karen accidentally pulled the emergency stop cord when swapping a water bottle.