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A British fundraiser known as “Run Geordie Run” has completed an epic journey across Australia.

Mark Allison endured baking heat, flies, melting roads, terrifying storms and aching feet to complete his 82-day, 2,383-mile odyssey.

The Forrest Gump-style coast-to-coast run began on October 16 and ended just before midnight English time on Saturday, raising more than £42,000 for charity.

He was forced to stop because of safety issues and the awful condition of his feet.

But his determination to succeed for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, and and the Children’s Foundation, kept him going.

He covered 40 miles a day by “thinking of his family”. Both his parents died of cancer.

“My feet are in bits but this ocean feels fantastic,” he said as he landed in the Pacific at Warilla Beach, New South Wales. “It was such a difficult run. Far more difficult than I could ever have imagined.

“The physical battle I just about coped with. The mental battle, however, was considerable.”

He slept in a “baking hot” motor home, and went without showers in weather so hot it melted tarmac from the roads and made gravel stick in his trainers.

“Would I do it all again? Of course I would,” he added. “At the drop of a hat. No doubt about it.

"I’m not going to, however.”

Liz Luff, of the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, paid tribute to his great courage.

She said: “Even then he would not have succeeded if the British Consulate General in Sydney, Nick McInnes, had not assisted in helping him change flights home to Newcastle and giving him an additional 24 hours to complete the challenge.”

The last 23 miles, on dangerous roads through the Macquarie Pass National Park, were completed just hours before his flight back to the UK.

“He trained hard and prepared for heat but the weather in Australia was so hot it was the subject of a Severe Weather Warning and melted the roads.

"The melted tarmac caused gravel to stick in his trainers, creating a new problem for his ravaged feet,” added Liz.

“Mark has previously run across America but nothing could have prepared him for this challenge. The run has taken him to the edge physically, mentally and emotionally.”

Mark, of Blyth, Northumberland, has spent 20 years raising funds for good causes . This run, like his previous challenges, was in memory of his parents, and has greatly benefited the two charities.

The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation was launched by Sir Bobby in 2008 to help find more effective ways to detect and treat cancer. Sir Bobby’s family has been in close contact with Mark.

Lady Elsie Robson said: “We are so proud of Mark and very pleased he is safely completed this challenge. It must have taken every single ounce of his strength.

“To have that kind of determination is incredible really. It is obviously been a real battle at times. It must have taken so much out of him physically and mentally and I expect it will take him months to recover.

“He has raised a huge amount of money for the two charities and we know that is what has been keeping him going.

“We are grateful to everyone who has donated and helped raise so much money.

“It will be very well used helping people faced with the pain of cancer.

"Our heartfelt thanks go to Mark and everyone who has supported him on this run. We wish him and his wife Donna a safe trip home to Newcastle.”

Libby Nolan, of the Children’s Foundation, added: “We are so extremely proud of our Ambassador.

"He been through such a gruelling challenge which has seemed so much harder than anyone had expected. We want to thank everyone for their support and donations.

“We can’t wait to hear all about Mark’s journey and thank him by showing what a difference his fundraising will make.”

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See more about Mark's story in the video below