Crewe & Nantwich Conservative candidate Edward Timpson broke away from the election battleground to run the London Marathon for charity.
Mr Timpson completed his 11th London Marathon in a time of 3hrs 56mins 42secs, in aid of Leighton Hospital’s MRI Scanner Appeal.
The 26-mile event provided a break from the heat of election battle as Mr Timpson seeks to be re-elected to the Crewe & Nantwich constituency on May 7.
He is facing a challenge from Labour’s Adrian Heald, UKIP’s Richard Lee, and Roy Wood of the Liberal Democrats.
Mr Timpson said: “Pounding the streets knocking on doors is not quite the same as marathon training, but I’ve been squeezing training runs in as a bizarre form of relaxation during the campaign.
“I think I’ve been fastest MP before, but this year that wasn’t going to happen!
“My personal best is 3 hours 42 minutes – last year, so I wasn’t far over it, astonishingly.
“Talking to my constituents has been my top priority.
“Perhaps I should invite them on training runs with me in future!”
The MRI appeal is looking to raise £1million to buy second scanner to cope with rising demand at Leighton Hospital.
“My three children were all born in that hospital, so I have quite a strong attachment to it,” he added.
“I’ve campaigned successfully for major funding for them in the past, so want to keep the effort going!
“I’m looking to raise about £3,000, and am well on my way to bringing that in.”
Yesterday’s London Marathon was the largest ever staged, with 38,000 runners and more than 750,000 spectators lining the route to cheer them on.
“It’s a great way of raising money for and awareness of good causes, particularly as it’s not the sort of thing politicians normally do,” Mr Timpson added.
“Also I’ve got a bit of a reputation for it now, so I suspect people would ask why I didn’t do them any more if I stopped!
“I did have a break for one year, when I did the Nantwich Triathlon with my wife, Julia.
“A bit of variety doesn’t hurt, and it was great to be able to support a local event too.”
To donate to his run appeal online, visit http://www.justgiving.com/Edward-Timpson1
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