|PIC1|Baptist Minister Steve Chalke MBE has been confirmed this week by the Guinness World Records as the new world record holder for ‘most money raised by an individual marathon runner’.

Rev. Chalke, broadcaster and founder of the Christian charity Oasis Trust, ended retired advertising executive John Spurling’s reign at the top spot by raising £1,252,488 for his participation in this year’s London Marathon. Mr Spurling held the record from 1999 until this year after raising £1.13million for running in Marathon.

It was also confirmed by Guinness World Records that Chalke had also topped P. Diddy’s £1.19million for his jaunt in the 2003 New York Marathon, knocking the music producer off the top spot as the overall fundraising record holder.

With the professional runners in this year’s London Marathon failing to break through any world records, it is believed that Chalke is now officially the only runner to have broken a world record.

The funds raised by Chalke in the Marathon will go to three Oasis Academies, Oasis Trust-sponsored secondary schools, in Enfield, north London and North East Lincolnshire.