Stephen Jackson and Jenn Arnold complete virtual London Marathon with seven laps of Mount Panorama

But Bathurst's Stephen Jackson and Jenn Arnold managed to complete the brutal endurance challenge on Sunday as part of the London Marathon's virtual race challenge.

The couple completed the marathon in a time of four hours, 48 minutes and three seconds.

Their challenge came about from a meeting with Lord and Lady Bathurst two years ago when Jackson and Arnold went via the UK for their Triathlon World Championships campaign, which helped forge a friendship with them and the community of Cirencester.

Lord and Lady Bathurst set them the 'fun' challenge of competing virtually in the London Marathon by running around Mount Panorama seven times.

But it did become a fun day for Jackson and Arnold thanks to ideal weather and plenty of support from the Bathurst community.

"We couldn't have asked for a better day. We had so many people out supporting us on every lap, and had people driving past tooting their horn. It really made all the difference and I think that's why we were able to be so consistent," Arnold said.

"By the time the sixth lap came around we were in the hurt locker a little bit, so there was a bit of walking coming into it there and on the last lap, but on the whole we couldn't be happier with how it went.

"It came over quite dark around the fifth lap at the top of the Mount, and the last thing we wanted was a wet and slippery road down The Esses, but the weather ended up being perfect.

"The breeze was quite cool where we needed it to be. We unfortunately had a headwind going up Mountain Straight every time but at least it was consistent, so we knew to expect it."

In a statistic that's sure to make the legs sore just by reading it, the seven laps of Mount Panorama accounted for more than 1.3 kilometres of elevation gain.

While a fast time wasn't the aim of the run Arnold said it was great to cross the line under the five hour mark.

"We had it in our heads that it would take around five and a half hours, and that felt optimistic," she said.

"Our marathon actually finished under the 'Conquer The Mountain' sign on Conrod Straight so we still had to complete that final lap, so we overall finished the seven laps just on five hours."

Jackson and Arnold timed their run so it finished around the time that those in Cirencester would be starting their virtual run.

They also had great success with the donation side of the event, which has become a staple of the London Marathon.

"Lots of people donated throughout the day," Arnold said.

"When we had to refund fees from the [cancelled] Mount Panorama Punish ... many people took their entry fee and gave it to Veritas House.

"We hope that money can help make a difference for them because they're a great organisation."

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