Southampton favourite Francis Benali has completed a marathon in his own back garden, raising over £11,000 for charity.

The ex-Saints captain last year managed five Ironman triathlons in the space of a week to bring in £1million in donations to Cancer Research UK.

And with the United Kingdom in lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic, Benali took on another challenge.

Splitting the proceeds between Saints Foundation and NHS Charities Together, the 51-year-old ran 26.2 miles on Sunday.

Stuck at home, Benali had worked out the feat would require 717 laps of his garden but felt "very dizzy and rough" after a trial run of 15 laps.

The former left-back instead used a treadmill and changed through an assortment of old Southampton shirts as he completed the challenge.

Saints great Matt Le Tissier joined Benali via Instagram to run for 8km, before posting on Twitter: "I'm now resting up in a hot bath while this giant of a man keeps going.

"Well done, @FrannyBenali, proud to be your mate."