THE widow of a magistrate has raised more than £3,000 for charity by running the New York Marathon.

Mother-of-two Melanie Albrighton, whose husband, Ken, died last November, aged 49, finished the race in less than four-and-a-half hours.

Mrs Albrighton, a physiotherapist from Middleton Tyas, decided to take part in memory of her husband and in aid of Yorkshire Cancer Research. Along with running companion Andrew Smith, she was sponsored by family, friends and her patients.

"The support has been incredible," she said. "I'd really like to thank everyone who has sponsored me and particularly Andrew for running with me.

"It was wonderful, an absolutely amazing experience. It was 68F, which was 20 degrees higher than last year. I wasn't prepared for the humidity and all the hills, but it was magical."