A Cupar teacher partially incapacitated by a stroke has conquered his disability to take part in the Paris Marathon as a celebration for his 50th birthday.
Eric Thomson, principal teacher of biology at Bell Baxter High School in the town, finished in a time of four hours and six minutes.
Paris is one of the five biggest marathons in the world, along with New York, London, Berlin and Chicago and attracts 50,000 entrants. London, in comparison, has a field of 36,000.
The Paris event attracted hundreds of nations to compete on the day.
Eric said: “The course was very challenging, more so than my previous marathon in Edinburgh. The statistics show this, with thousands of runners failing to finish.”
The race started at 8.45am last Sunday in front of the Arc de Triomphe.
Eric added: “Throughout the marathon, runners got a fantastic view of the magnificent city and some of its famous sights.
“The course continued down the Champs Elyses then passed through two Parisian woods. You also went past fabulous landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral,Tuilerie Gardens, the Louvre and Place de la Bastille.
“A large part of the course also runs along the banks of the Seine. There are 250,000 fanatical onlookers and 70 bands along the way to keep you going.
“And if that isn’t enough, you can always look forward to the red wine and cheese served at the 35km mark. Apparently, the organisers want you to be absolutely sure that you’re in France.”
Eric’s achievement is even more impressive after he as had to overcome a stroke in 2006. This affected his speech and movement down his left side.
He has now fully recovered and along the way has raised more than £7,000 for the Scottish Stroke Association and Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland.