He did it!

Primary school teacher Jacques Bernard successfully completed three marathons in 24 hours, a total distance of 78.6 miles.

His efforts look set to raise upwards of £14,000 for the Steve Bernard Foundation.

As reported by Dorset Biz News, the 31-year-old aimed to complete four 20-mile loops of Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch – and all in less than 24 hours.

In the event he completed the challenge in 22 hours.

He was accompanied throughout by friends and supporters working on a rota system with short breaks between each loop.

Jacques, a Trustee of the Steve Bernard Foundation, said: “What a whirlwind of a 24 hours.

“I can’t quite believe I have completed this challenge.

“It was definitely my toughest challenge to date.

“The demands of physical pressure on my legs, emotional drain, tiredness through the night and racing against the clock to complete the challenge in one day really did test me in every way possible.

“The hardest part of the challenge was the third 20-mile loop, which started at 3.30am.

“I was exhausted, it was raining and my right hip flexor was in excruciating pain which remained the case for 12 miles.

“I had to stop many times to stretch it out which slowed my pace a lot, and had friends to try and prod and dig into the IT band and quad muscle to give any sort of relief from the pain.

“However, as sun rose, and I fuelled up on a chocolate twist and Lucozade, I found something deep down to push on and get that loop completed.

“The high by a country mile was the unbelievable amount of support I received throughout the challenge.

“The people who joined in running and cycling, the people on the streets clapping and cheering, making banners, tooting their horns and sending messages just kept me going more than they realise and made me smile, which is what was needed.

“At the end, running down the Hengistbury Head road to see a huge crowd of people cheering and clapping was incredibly emotional.

“I cannot be more grateful to each and every person for this.

“They got me through it and to the end.”

So far over £13,700 has been raised including approximately £3,000 from fundraising activities at Baden-Powell & St. Peter’s Junior School in Poole where Jacques works.

Donations are still welcome here.

The Steve Bernard Foundation was established in memory of Jacque’s brother, Steve, pictured left, who died in a road accident 18 years ago.

He was 18 and had been studying at the University of Chichester to be a PE teacher.

Since it was founded in 2006 the sports charity has raised over £590,000 and supported more than 650 sporting projects.

• stevebernardfoundation.com