'Saving a runner's life inspired me to do a marathon'

A runner has raised thousands of pounds for charity after saving the life of fellow runner.

Lee Nicholson, 35, was running in Builth Wells, Powys, last September when he noticed a runner in distress.

It was Darren Hughes who had "just collapsed" and Lee worried he might have fainted.

Lee, from Newbridge on Wye, told Radio Wales Breakfast he "didn't know what was going on" but has been called a "hero" after saving Darren's life that day.

Lee was carrying his phone at the time, which he usually never does, and phoned the emergency services.

"One of the first questions they ask is, is the patient breathing?" he said.

I checked and I could tell straight away he wasn't, so I went straight into CPR."

Lee performed CPR for about 20 minutes until paramedics arrived.

Darren initially thought the collapse was caused by acid reflux, but later discovered he had suffered a cardiac arrest.

"I've got no memory of it, that's the strange thing," he said.

"I can't even remember what feeling I had in my body."

Darren said his running route is usually "very, very quiet" adding that it was "pure luck" someone found him.

The fact that his "hero" Lee also knew how to perform CPR was a life-saving bonus.

Lee was inspired to run in the London Marathon and said the atmosphere was something he had "never experienced".

"It was incredible the amount of people shouting your name and the support was ridiculous really," Lee said.

He was "pleased" with his time finishing in a very respectable time of three hours and 51 minutes, raising thousands for charity.

"I was just pleased to get around in the end to be honest," he said.