Marc Ellis, 46, was so moved by the attitude show by eight-year-old Luke during his battle against neuroblastoma that he pledged to run round The Northern Echo Arena to raise money to fund pioneering treatment for the youngster.

Tragically, Luke died on Christmas Eve but Mr Ellis vowed to continue with his run in support of the youngster's family and to raise as much money as he could to help them during this traumatic time.

Mr Ellis was joined by more than 150 people who ran sections of the run with him from 6am to 6pm on Saturday but he was the only person to run round the arena for the full 24-hours - covering an incredible 104-miles in the process.

He said: "It was pretty emotional really.

"I think obviously it has been a really traumatic time for the family and it was nice to see a lot of people from the town turn out to run with us.

"There were hundreds of people, it was quite special really."

DMP Chairman Mick Birch commented: "A huge thank you to Mark Ellis on his completion of a 24 hour “Team Luke” continuous run around the Arena - a fantastic achievement.
A massive thanks also to all the friends and family who have provided supported."

Mr Ellis is no stranger to covering long distances, having previously hit the headlines in 2015 when he ran all the way from Land's End to Darlington.

However, running non-stop for an entire day posed a different challenge and Mr Ellis admitted on Sunday he could 'barely move'.

He only took a couple of five minute toilet breaks and had no designated rest or eating stops throughout the whole 24-hours.

He said: "This was harder than running back from Land's End, definitely.

"But it wasn't about me, it was about trying to put a positive spin on things and at the end of the day, if the family or anyone else can benefit then I'm happy.

"I can't even move my leg but at the end of the day, my little suffering will be over in a day or two, but for the family of Luke it will probably never disappear."

Mr Ellis, a landscape gardener from Darlington, said he does not yet know how much money his challenge raised but he intends to pass it onto Luke's family for them to decide how to use it.

Luke had been battling neuroblastoma for two years and his parents set up a fundraising campaign to try and raise the £100,000 needed for him to undergo a pioneering medical trial in Barcelona.

Sadly he died on December 24 and his family released a statement on facebook describing him as a 'superhero' with 'an infectious smile'.

Luke's plight touched many people in the Darlington community and beyond, with many people contributing to the fundraising campaign and organising fundraising events.

These included jockey’s valet Steve Charlton from High Etherley who dressed as an elf while working at Catterick racecourse on Tuesday and organised a collection.

And keen walker Scott Mcalister scaled Roseberry Topping 27 times, raising more than £2,000 in the process.