Wellington teacher Oona Bradshaw hadn’t even run a 10k but she entered the London Marathon – at the fifth time of asking – and completed it on Sunday in seven hours three minutes.

It was ‘deflating’ cross the finish line when Covid restrictions meant it was without the presence and noise of a crowd.

But Oona’s husband Keith and ten-year-old daughter Niamh were a short distance away ready to congratulate her.

Oona, 46, who is a Higher Level Teaching Assistant in the English department at Court Fields School, ran the marathon to raise funds for mental health charity MIND.

“It’s a charity close to my heart,” she said.

“I have struggled with my mental health in the past, about 20 years ago, when there wasn’t the support that’s available now. Nobody understood mental health, so I was just left to wallow in self-pity.

“Working in a school, I know that so many children have poor mental health for various reasons.”

Although not specifically targeting children, MIND is, she said, ‘a terrific charity that really understands’.

She added: “Someone described the London Marathon as ‘the worst best thing’, and I agree with that but I see it in a positive light. It’s very tough and at the 18-mile mark I thought I couldn’t do any more – but then I saw my husband and daughter.”

Oona’s parents were also there to support her, too, having flown over from France, and ‘five or six’ family members joined them.

“They couldn’t be at the finish line, but they were following me around using an app. Niamh, especially, was really proud of me – and for me, it’s a tick off my bucket list.”