A Hornsey councillor said she felt “fantastic” after running the London Marathon in memory of her father.

Monica Whyte completed the 26.2 mile endurance run in four hours and 37 minutes yesterday in honour of her father, who died at the age of 57.

The politician's father suffered from arthritis from the age of 25 and the Liberal Democrat politician completed the marathon to raise money for the charity Arthritis Research UK.

Ms Whyte said: “It was absolutely fantastic – I didn’t finish as fast as I would have liked because it was so hot but I really enjoyed it.

“My training was really good so actually doing it wasn’t too hard and I would definitely do it again.

“The best thing was probably the crowd, they were so great and the really kept me going even when I felt like dying.”

The 42-year-old barrister raised just under £2,000 for the charity, but said she was happy just to hit the £500 mark and that everything else was a bonus.

She said: “This was my first marathon and I’m definitely going to do it again – I have to beat that time.

“I was inspired to take part because of my dad. He developed rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 25 and despite being a positive and cheerful person it caused him a lot of pain and discomfort and limited his mobility.

“On average he underwent a major operation every two years but sadly the arthritis caused his early death at the age of 57.”

Those wishing to donate to should visit www.virginmoneygiving.com/MonicaWhyte