A HEART surgeon has tackled mountains and waded through peat bogs to run the equivalent of seven marathons in seven days.

And fittingly, John Radcliffe Hospital heart consultant Tim Betts, raised £7,000 through his effort, in aid of the Oxford Heart Centre.

Mr Betts, 42, set off on the epic 190 mile run, along the Coast to Coast route, from the Irish Sea to the North Sea and has just finished collecting sponsorship.

The route, devised by the popular late rambler Alfred Wainwright, starts at St Bees, on the western edge of the Lake District, and finishes at Robin Hood’s Bay, near Whitby in North Yorkshire.

It follows a notoriously difficult course through some of the most spectacular scenery in England, and many hikers aim to complete it over a far longer period.

But in an effort to raise as much money as possible Mr Betts was determined to go the extra mile and run it as a series of back-to-back marathons last month.

He said: “This was a once in a lifetime experience. I really do not think I will be stupid enough to try anything so mad again.

“This is the one mid-life crisis my wife has allowed me to have, so I thought I’d make it a big one.

“But I am very proud of what the Oxford Heart Centre already offers and wanted to do something equally outstanding to contribute to the continued development of this world class facility.”

The money Mr Betts has raised will go towards providing patients at the unit, which opened last year, with facilities which go beyond what the NHS offers as standard.