TWO firefighters have raised £2,000 for cancer charities by running a half-marathon dressed in full kit.

Carrying compressed air cylinders and breathing apparatus, and wearing helmets and 22lb flameproof uniforms, Firefighter Mick Dunn and Watch Manager Gary Crone still completed Newcastle’s 13-mile Great North Run in under two hours.

The firefighters, both stationed at Kidlington, were raising money for Macmillan Cancer Nurses and Ovarian Cancer Action, after Mr Dunn’s mother-in-law, Leslie Farmer, died of the illness seven months ago.

Mr Dunn, 44, said: “The weather was damp and really humid. We wanted to do a quick time as well, and managed it in one hour 48 minutes and 55 seconds, but by the time we finished we were bordering on heat exhaustion.

“We were absolutely drenched in sweat and could not get rid of the heat, even though we were pouring water down our necks.”

He added: “At the end, we were elated, but absolutely exhausted.

“Six or seven miles in, we were a bit worried because we could not keep cool.

“We just had to get it together.

“The last mile was along the sea front, and my wife said she could hear the crowd cheering us.”

Mr Crone, whose seven-year-old son Ben also competed in the junior run, said: “The support we got from other runners and the crowd was just out of this world.

“We have done a lot of training but it is a totally different experience running with all the kit on.”

The pair hope that their total sponsorship will reach £2,000 in memory of Mrs Farmer, of Eynsham, who died from ovarian cancer aged 66.

Mr Dunn said: “We wanted to raise awareness of the disease, in the hope more ladies will realise it is something they should be getting checked out.

“We do quite a lot of running events at Kidlington Fire Station, so it is quite hard to persuade people to sponsor us.

“That was when we decided we would do it in full kit.”