WOODBRIDGE School pupil Will Hearne just fell short of getting one over his headmaster at the London Marathon recently.

WOODBRIDGE School pupil Will Hearne just fell short of getting one over his headmaster at the London Marathon recently.

The 18 year-old hockey player, who has represented England at under-16 level, finished his first ever marathon in an impressive time of 3 hours and 41 minutes.

That time was just a minute short of his headmaster Stephen Cole's first ever marathon time which he recorded in 1992 - when Hearne was just two years old.

Hearne said: “I didn't know about the headmaster's time until after the race, it certainly is a strange coincidence.

“I wanted to run the marathon for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I thought it would be good form my hockey fitness, while secondly I wanted to raise some money for a good cause.

“All the money I raised went to a multiple sclerosis charity as my uncle is suffering with MS, while a good friend of mine has recently lost his dad to the illness.”

Hearne's headmaster Mr Cole said: “It's a lovely coincidence that Will finished so close to my first ever time at the London Marathon.

“At the school we put a lot of emphasis on raising money for charity and I try and set an example to the students by running the marathon.

“This year I raised nearly £6,000 for the St Elizabeth Hospice after a well loved colleague of ours died there last year.

“I have run in 18 marathons now, 17 of them in London, but gone are the days where I could finish in under four hours. My best time is three hours and 28 minutes but this year I finished in four hours and nine minutes.”

Hearne added: “I didn't really enjoy the training that much, but the day itself was actually quite enjoyable. I am thinking of going on a gap year next year, but I definitely hope to enter it again at a later date and improve upon my time.”