Pair help grateful runner to marathon PB after collapse 300 yards from finish

A London Marathon runner has thanked two of her fellow participants for helping her to achieve a personal best time despite collapsing 300 yards from the finish line.

Gabriella Booth, 38, was in the final stretch of the 26.2-mile (42.2km) route when her "legs went", causing her to "hit the floor".

Fellow Porthcawl Runners member Ross Purchase noticed she was in distress and with Mo Kachach, who was also competing, they took an arm each and helped her over the line.

Booth said she was "extremely grateful" to the pair for enabling her to complete the event in 2:59:07, beating her target by 53 seconds in the process.

Booth has competed in seven London Marathons and several others around the UK and overseas.

The NHS pharmacist said she had been trying to achieve a sub-three hour time after "missing out for quite a few years" around the winding course through south-east and central London.

The field spans elite professionals, club runners, charity fundraisers and celebrity entrants.

Booth said she began to feel her legs start to buckle about the 17-mile mark, but initially felt she could "run through it". It was when they hit the corner by Buckingham Palace that her "legs went" and the cramp set in.

"Ross got me up, but then Mo, the guy who I didn't know, saw him struggling with me and came to help," she said.

"They just both helped me to the finish. I was very grateful for them both."

Mo Kachach, 37, said his "passion is running" after completing all seven of the Abbott World Marathon Majors which includes London.

The ultramarathon runner, from London, said the event was always "emotional" and "special".

"I saw Gabby struggling and remember thinking we need to make sure she gets to the finish line," he said.

"I know how difficult those last few metres can be."

Kachach said the running community was historically "very strong" and that he wanted to "give back" that day.

"That's also the spirit of the London Marathon. It's a huge element," he added.

While he set out for a sub-three-hour time, Kachach forgot about his own race when he saw the struggling pair of Porthcawl Runners.

"I just wanted to make sure that she got her achievement," he said.

"That's was the most important thing to me at that time."

Booth said it was unclear what the nature of the issue was considering her experience in long distance races.

But she cautioned that a marathon was just a "really hard" event to complete.

"There are always going to be things you can't control on the day," she said.

"It's a very hard race and I think people sometimes forget how far it is."

After celebrating her achievement with the Porthcawl Runners, Booth has already turned her attention to the next challenge.

She has completed events in Brighton, Parma and Tenby amongst other cities. She said she "might give Valencia a try next year" to tick another off the list.

Until then, Booth said she had a summer full of shorter sessions to keep her occupied, with her next race being a 10k in just two weeks' time.

"I haven't got a long time to recover," she added.