Jamie McDonald's 'emotional' finish to 5,000 mile Canada run

An incredible 5,000-mile run across Canada has come to an emotional end for Gloucester superhero Jamie McDonald tonight. The charity challenge, equivalent to doing 200 marathons, came to a finale at 9.20pm British time when Jamie crossed the finish line. Hundreds of onlookers roared with cheers. Jamie, 27, has spoken to the Gloucester Citizen about his mammoth journey which he completed in a superhero outfit. "I am feeling very cheery now," he said. "It has been a really emotional finish. There were hundreds of people here to greet me and it was very overwhelming. "Actually I was quite sad when I finished. For so many weeks and months I have been craving the end but now it is finally here. It is all over. I can never do this again. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity. It is like your wedding day coming to an end. "All along I've not had any support crew but what I have had is the kindness of strangers. Strangers have become friends and picked me up when I've hit low points. We were so many days where I didn't think I would finish it." He said the doctors and nurses at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital who look after him when he battled illness as a child were the motivation for him to complete the challenge.

My dad talking at @BCCHF, thanking Canada. I've been crying like a baby! #finalflashpic.twitter.com/DTy4vDCShI

— JamieMcDonald (@MrJamieMcDonald) February 3, 2014

He has raised more than £100,000 - some £20,000 will go to the hospital's Pied Piper Appeal, another £20,000 will go to the Great Ormond Street Hospital, and the rest will go to children's charities in Canada. Jamie said: "I had acute tendinitis in my foot along the way but struggled on. If I end up with not having a foot, I won't mind. This has made such a difference to so many people's live and no one can take that away from me. "I started out by wanting to give back to the hospital that helped me when I was a kid but this has turned out to be much more than that. I hope now that it will inspire others." Being proud of his Gloucester roots has never waned - and he says he can't wait to get back to his home city especially for two things - his mum's home-cooked roast and his pillow. "People keep asking me where I'm from and of course I say Gloucester, and it always makes me feel so proud. "I miss my family so much. I am looking forward to my mum's dinners. I've lived off so many tins of fish and nothing can come close to her roast dinner with all the trimmings. "I also can't wait to touch my pillow. Just the smell and feel of it is enough." What next for Jamie? "The Canadians kept saying thank you for making them feel so proud of their country and I would love to make our country feel that way too. I feel that we've lost that here," he said. He also thanked his city's newspaper, the Citizen. "When I saw that you were writing so many articles about me, it really motivated me to think that so many people back home were getting behind it and that the message was getting out, so thank you," he said. Gloucester's mayor Chris Chatterton said: "What Jamie has done is absolutely astonishing. You only need to think about all the people that train so much just to do one marathon, so to do 200 is staggering. He is inspirational and I can't wait for the city to welcome him home in the way that he deserves."