The emotion of a Custard Corner marathon runner

Custard Corner is not for cowards.

Despite the street's yellow colour, hence its name, only the brave need apply - at least when running enough laps of it to cover the equivalent distance of a marathon. And in a heatwave no less.

But rather than "exhausted", what Ian Beasley had to say of Saturday's feat - on a jaundiced section of Station Road in Kenilworth - was "awesome" and "emotional".

He was running in memory of his best friend and best man, known as Noggins, who took his own life in February 2024.

Mr Beasley notched up roughly 600 laps of Custard Corner during the event he organised, raising money for the Samaritans charity as he ran.

He said members of the public turned out to support him and fellow runners, with the marathon taking place against a backdrop of "Mexican waves, people singing along to buskers [and] bells ringing".

He told BBC CWR that his Custard Corner challenge, which saw him run 26.2 miles, had raised more than £12,600 for the cause so far, and he would like to organise another one next year.

Mr Beasley, an optometrist who lives in Kenilworth, has previously described Noggins as "a one-off" who was "adored by everyone".

For the final 0.2 miles, Mr Beasley arranged for the group of participants to run in silence while he carried a photo of his friend. Noggins' favourite song, Find the River by REM, was played.

"I was in tears during that 0.2 of a mile," Mr Beasley said.

"That was really emotional."

Mr Beasley said he was delighted that the marathon had raised thousands of pounds for charity, but his personal highlight of the day was seeing men open up about their mental health struggles.

He had three conversations at the event with men who spoke about the issues they faced, he added.

"I don't think that would have happened had we not created the environment [for it]," he said.

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