Ben Pocock: Friends run 237km for MH17 Bristol victim

Ms Kennedy (Front right holding the sign) said it was an "incredible experience

A group ran 237 km (147.2 m) for their friend who died in the MH17 disaster.

The challenge in memory of Ben Pocock started in his home city of Bristol and ended in Loughborough on Sunday.

The day marked the eighth anniversary since the deaths of 298 people onboard the MH17 flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when the plane was shot down.

All 10 of his friend who took part took 30 hours to complete the run and raised more than £6,200 for the charity Street Games.

The friends met each other at Loughborough University

The challenge started at 04:00 BST on Saturday in Keynsham and ended on Sunday at Loughborough University where the group of friends first met each other doing ultimate frisbee.

Charlotte Kennedy, 29, said it gave them "a chance to keep talking about Ben and the type of person he was".

"It has been an incredible experience," she said.

"I'd go as far to say I've enjoyed it as much as it's been tiring. It's very rewarding."

The group said the run was "really emotional"

She said the thought of Ben "motivated" them through.

"Whilst we'll never really be able to understand or process the loss of our friend Ben, we are very proud to be able to take on this challenge in his memory.

"Ben was always pushing us to be the best that we could be.

"He was the best person that you could be around. Someone that was very motivating and inspiring."

She added, next time "maybe we will just go for a beer, as he liked a beer".

The run raised more than £6,000 for charity

Cat Baron, 30 said it was "really emotional" when they finished.

"I think it was partly due to exhaustion and partly because we finished at the memorial garden at Loughborough Uni where there's a plaque up in Ben's name," she said.

"Every so often when we can we go there as a group of friends."