A SIXTEEN stone rugby player turned elite Iron Man athlete has raised more than £2,000 for Oxford Children’s Hospital after completing a 52-mile ultra marathon.

Former Oxford University captain Andy Dalgleish finished seventh in a field of 220 at the Thames Trot run between Iffley and Henley on Saturday.

The Henley Hawks hooker was forced halfway through the 2011/12 season due to a neck injury but a chance conversation at a barbecue a year later led to him shedding 30kgs and becoming an elite triathlon competitor.

The 36-year-old said: “I was third until I took a wrong turn towards the end - I think I ended up running an extra four kilometres.

“It was just as challenging mentally as it was physically, I was running alone for most of the race as the field spread out pretty quickly.

“But it was a great experience and great to be able to do it for the children’s hospital and I hope people will keep donating.”

So far Mr Dalgleish has raised more than £2,300 through the support of friends, family and former teammates but he called for more support to get it up to £2,500.

The St Edward’s School director of sport won a bronze medal at the Middle Distance Triathlon European Championships in 2015 just two years after taking up the sport.

But the birth of his daughter Florence later that year inspired him to raise money for the hospital.

To donate go to justgiving.com/fundraising/ad-ultra-17