Jack Sexty completes Manchester marathon on a pogo stick

Supporters greeted Jack Sexty at the Old Trafford finish line

A student has become the first person to complete a marathon on a pogo stick.

Jack Sexty, 24, from Staffordshire, began the Greater Manchester Marathon on Sunday morning, reaching the finish line in the early hours of Monday.

He completed the 26-mile route in about 16 hours, according to Alzheimer's Research UK, one of the charities for which he was fundraising.

He said: "I had never felt pain like it. When I finished I just wanted to lie on the floor and stay there."

"Maybe in a month's time I might think about getting back on a pogo stick and doing some other challenge but at the moment all I can think of is sleeping," he added.

No evidence

Mr Sexty is also thought to have broken the record for the person to travel the farthest on a pogo stick in 24 hours.

That record had previously been held by American James Roumeliotis, who covered 23.22 miles in 14 hours 32 minutes in 2012.

A spokesman for Guinness World Records said they had no evidence of anyone completing a marathon on a pogo stick before.

"Jack Sexty has been in contact with us about breaking James' record. We now await his evidence so that we can verify his claim," he said.

Mr Sexty, from Penkridge, is studying for a master's degree in journalism at the University of Staffordshire.

He was aiming to raise £2,000 for Alzheimer's Research UK and the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital.