THE last time I wrote on these pages about the London Marathon I finished by saying how such prolonged pain meant I would never run it again.

But what I did not account for was being bitten by the marathon bug and I was back on the start-line on Sunday.

This time I had done much more training, running more than 350 miles since Christmas, before a calf injury disrupted the last fortnight of my preparation.

That meant I was even more nervous than before, but before the race began those fears were calmed by again being able to mix with the celebrities.

I am not quite sure how it happened, but I ended up being able to mingle with the likes of former Boyzone singer, Ronan Keating, Olympic gold medallist James Cracknell, Jonathan Pearce, EastEnders actor, Phil Daniels, Floella Benjamin and actress Amanda Holden.

It was certainly an experience and so was the start of the race as the more serious athletes all barged past to try and work their way into a good position during the early stages.

That was not too bad, but during this spell I was also passed by the usual array of runners in fancy dress.

Last time it was Bob the Builder and a giant Pepperami who surged past me, but this year it was Batman, Tarzan, two clowns and an orangutan, all inside the opening half an hour.

Thankfully it did not put me off my stride and the first 18 miles went really well despite a torrential downpour.

Sadly the pain then started and, although my calf was fine, not much else was!

My legs had both seized up and felt as if they were made from lead as I ran through the more deserted Isle of Dogs.

As a result this was the stage of the race where I was not sure whether or not I would be finishing.

That seemed to go on forever and hurt like hell, but by the time I got to 22 miles I was strangely feeling fresh again, thanks to the increased number of supporters who were roaring me on as if I was a member of their family.

It was all very humbling and I made sure I turned off my I-Pod to take everything in.

The last mile along the Embankment and turning into the home-straight is something I will never ever forget, along with finally going across the finishing line which is a feeling words simply cannot describe.

I managed to get there in four hours 25 minutes, which was two minutes faster than I recorded last year and most importantly I have raised just short of £3,000 for Little Havens.

However, three days on I am still having to be helped out of my chair and have to go downstairs on my bottom because I cannot bend my legs. It is almost certain I will not be running the marathon again.But I think I have heard that before somewhere!

l Chris is still collecting money for Little Havens.

To donate cash visit www.justgiving.com/christopherphillips1