A ROYAL Marine tested himself to the limit by running 70 miles of the Jurassic Coast in 22 consecutive hours.

Colour sergeant Paul Lawton, 37, has just ran a sizeable stretch of the South West Coast Path to raise a staggering £2,580 for an Armed Forces Charity.

The Marine set off from Studland Bay early last Tuesday with the sole mission of running as far as possible along the jagged coastal path without stopping.

Sgt Lawton, who is based at Bovington Camp, said: "I have done quite a few challenges and runs for charity before but wanted to do something a little bit more strenuous this time."

Writing on a Just Giving page prior to the event, he said "Since my last challenge, I have had some time to think. I Googled the word 'limit' and came up with this: 'a point or level beyond which something does not or may not extend or pass.'

"It got me thinking, just how far can I run in one sitting before I hit my limit? What is a my limit?"

After an entire night running in the dark, Sgt Lawton circled Portland before finally reaching Weymouth in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

He said: "In the end, I had nothing left in the tank. Health and safety became a real issue around Portland, the weather conditions changed. It was rough terrain, became really hard to see, and really hard to keep my muscles warm.

"A lot of the support team had dropped off by then as well, so we decided it just wasn't safe to continue."

The money raised will be donated The Royal Marines Charity, an organisation close to Sgt Lawton's heart that assists serving marines, veterans and their families with any issues they may face.

Throughout the run, designated refuelling stops were scheduled and Sgt Lawton ran alongside a support team that he credits as the 'key to his success'.

Proud wife and beauty therapist Beth, 27, said: "It took quite a bit of planning. As well as a support team, other Marines ran with him in shifts so he never ran on his own. He would stop every eight to 10 miles to eat some ration packs or put some talc on his feet, but that was it.

"He did really, really well, but by the end it was decided it was too dangerous to continue, he was getting hallucinations and things.When he got home I could see he was physically tired, he showered, ate a pizza he wanted, and got straight into bed."

After a well deserved rest, Sgt Lawton returned to work the following morning.

To find out more, or to donate to his efforts, visit his fundraising page:www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Paul-Lawtongump