CUMBRIAN marathon man Gary Mckee recalls his Olmpic memories 10 years on from when he carried the torch through Whitehaven.

The athlete is running 365 marathons in 365 days, hoping to raise £1 million for Hospice at Home West Cumbria and Macmillan Cancer Support

Speaking to the Whitehaven News, for his weekly diary, he said: "Week 25 almost completed and 4600 miles now in the bank. 5 people ran a full marathon distance for the first time last week which always puts a smile on their faces.

"I also ran with lots of schools last week and it’ll be the same this week too. We also had Father’s Day which is a bit of a bitter sweet feeling for me but the realisation is that I’m doing what I’m doing in memory of my Dad and lots of people are getting the support they need through the money that’s being raised.

"It’s 10 years this week since I carried the Olympic torch through the streets of Whitehaven and something that I’ll never forget. The streets were full of people cheering and the whole Olympic movement was brilliant for the whole country.

"There was good news on the front pages of all the newspapers for two weeks instead of the usual doom and gloom we usually get and the country was on a massive high. People were being inspired to do things themselves and cycling became more popular than ever.

"It was just great time. We’ve got the Commonwealth Games starting next month and I wonder if it’ll have the same effect as the Olympics. Time will tell."