'Mr Gorilla' raises £26,000 by crawling London Marathon Published duration 29 April 2017 Related Topics London Marathon

media caption Mr Harrison crossed the finish line and was presented with a medal by Bill Oddie

A man who crawled the London Marathon dressed as a gorilla has completed the course and raised £26,000 for charity.

Tom Harrison - who calls himself Mr Gorilla - took six-and-a-half days to do the 26.2 mile route on his hands and knees, "gorilla-style", in aid of The Gorilla Organization.

Mr Harrison crossed the finish line on The Mall with his sons and had a medal presented by conservationist Bill Oddie.

He said he felt "tired but happy".

"Prior to this, the most I had crawled in one go was a mile, so I found the first day of the marathon really exhausting," he said.

image copyright @TheCoffeeRunGB image caption Mr Harrison was joined by his two sons, also dressed as gorillas

"Each day became its own little marathon.

"I'll be glad to get the costume washed as it's getting a little bit fruity.

"I think I've started to smell a bit like a gorilla."

The father-of-two, a Met Police officer who lives in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, started his attempt on 22 April, crawling the streets of the capital for between 10 and 12 hours a day.

He originally aimed to raise £1,500 but said the reaction to his challenge had been "incredible".

"The fact it went global has been completely unexpected, but brilliant," he said.

Mr Harrison was joined outside Buckingham Palace by his two sons, Nicholas, six, and Alex, four - also dressed as gorillas.

image copyright Reuters image caption Mr Harrison crawled for between 10 and 12 hours a day

They were watched by a crowd of around 100 people.

Mr Harrison, 41, originally from Worcester, was inspired to take on the challenge by his passion for the work of the charity, which runs conservation projects in several African countries.

image copyright PA image caption He is the charity's highest-ever fundraiser

The charity's executive director Jillian Miller, described his efforts as "incredible".

"He's now officially our highest fundraiser ever," she said.

"He feels very strongly, as the father of two little boys, that he wants to help preserve biodiversity for future generations."

image copyright PA image caption Mr Harrison had a medal presented by conservationist Bill Oddie