from finishing eighth overall in the women’s elite race to running the 26.2 miles while playing a guitar and singing - Farnham runners lit up the hottest ever London Marathon on Sunday, raising thousands of pounds for charity.

The Queen sent more than 40,000 runners, including dozens of participants from Farnham, on their way at 10am amid temperatures of 24 degrees celcius - but by this point one local girl was already well on her way to making history, having set off on the women’s elite race at 9.15am.

ï¬ Lily Partridge, an ex-pupil of Weydon School and member of the Aldershot, Farnham and District Athletics Club, finished eighth overall at her first ever London Marathon to take the British title, setting a new personal best as she completed the course in 2:29:24.

Lily, who also scooped a Farnham Sports Award in 2015, was later congratulated by her former school, which wrote on Twitter: "Congratulations @LilyPartridge01 unbelievable achievement. We are very proud #Weydonian."

ï¬ Another remarkable feat was achieved in the mass race by Farnham’s Ian Carley, who completed a world first of busking round the London Marathon supported by his ’Sgt Steppers Homeless Hearts Club Band’, comprising members of his running club, Blackwater Valley Runners.

Dressed as The Beatles, the band partied around the course playing over 40 hit songs, entertaining runners and spectators for over seven hours - and were even interviewed live on BBC. More importantly, the Fab Four raised more than £10,000 for Crisis and Aldershot-based Step by Step, a homeless charity helping disadvantaged young people.

ï¬ Sunday also marked a double celebration for Farnham couple Emma and Graham Russ, who not only successfully completed this year’s hottest Virgin Money London Marathon to date but did so on their first wedding anniversary.

Both seasoned runners, Graham completed the 26.2 miles in three hours and six minutes and Emma followed in four hours and six minutes, raising £2,600 and counting for children’s hospice charity Shooting Star Chase.

ï¬ Another Farnham runner, Veronique Haynes, ditched the emoji ’poop’ costume she donned for the Great South Run last October, and raised almost £1,000 for charity Help4Harry, supporting Weybourne schoolboy Harry Barnley in his fight against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

On finishing her first ever marathon supported by her children, family, friends, Harry and his family, the French teacher said: "I had a great time. The crowd were amazing and I am so grateful for all the donations that have kept coming."

ï¬ Nick Reeve, a partner at Farnham-based commercial letting agents Curchod and Co, completed the marathon alongside his brother Rob and together they raised more than £4,700 for Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice.

Nick said: "Sadly my knee blew up in mile two so I had to dig very deep to make it to the finish line. I managed to run for 13 miles before the pain was too great and then walked/hobbled the remaining 13 miles! Despite the heat and the knee it was an amazing day, the support from the crowd was incredible and truly inspiring."

ï¬ Wrecclesham’s Alex Whattingham tackled his third London Marathon, also for Phyllis Tuckwell, in memory of his brother Elliott’s dad and the co-founder of the Farnham Christmas Lights House in Greenfield Road, Chris Meacham.

Like many others, he found the going tough, finishing the race in five hours 17 minutes, but collected more than £2,000 for the hospice - contributing to a grand total of £34,000 raised for the Farnham-based hospice care charity, and adding to the £2,000 raised a week earlier by Brighton Marathon runners Tracy Godfrey and Kelly Clarke.

"We would like to say a huge thank you and very well done to our dedicated marathon runners, who have raised an incredible amount of money to help fund our vital supportive and end of life care," said Phyllis Tuckwell’s events fundraiser, Fiona Chapman.

ï¬ Siblings Charlie, 23, Katie, 20, and George Barrow, 18, from Churt ran the marathon in aid of the Ron Pickering Memorial Fund, raising £4,500 to help aspiring athletes attain their goals.

Their parents Dawn and Roddy and other family members managed to catch them five times along the route, cheering them on and providing much needed cold water and snacks, and afterwards said how "immensely proud" they were of them.

ï¬ A dozen Farnham Runners stood at the start line among 41,000 others in the hottest London marathon ever. They had to adjust their expectations of finish times but all completed the race and enjoyed the atmosphere and the superb support of the crowd, not least from the enthusiastic group from the club who went to cheer them on.

Added to sums raised at the Brighton marathon, Farnham Runners have raised more than £4,500 for charities this year, taking the total since 2000 to over £231,000.

First in for Farnham was Sean Smith who ran well within his pace for three hours 18 minutes, 57 seconds. Next came Emma Pearson in her ninth marathon. She is renowned within the club for her even pacing and she hardly slowed at all during the 26.2 miles, clocking an excellent 3:35:22 for 123rd place in the tough F40 category despite the heat. See next week’s sport section for a full report of Farnham Runners’ marathon.

Siblings Charlie, 23, Katie, 20, and George Barrow, 18, from Churt