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Kevin Allen eased into the Guinness Book of Records after Sundays Standard

Charted Singapore Marathon, but easy is perhaps not the word. Despite the 6am

start, with the first 45 minutes in the dark, the fair-haired west Londoner

suffered badly in the 30 degree heat (85+F) and 95% humidity.

But his time of 3.59.40 shattered fellow Brit Tim Rogers best for seven

marathons on seven contintents within a year. Allens cumulative time was 24hrs

21min 3sec, which betters Rogers time by over ten hours.

Allen now wants to take up marathoning seriously. "Id like to train for

six months and see what I can do," said Allen on Monday before taking off

for ten days holiday in Bali prior to his return to London.

Allen is a computer software consultant, and runs for the Ealing &

Southall club in west London. His favourite race among this years seven was in

Rosario in Argentina, and he intends to return there in early summer 2004, with

a view to running under three hours.

Having recovered from leukaemia at the age of four, Allen has raised over

20,000 pounds sterling ($30,000+) for the Leukaemia Society during his travels,

which took him to Luxor in Egypt, King Georges Island, Antartica, London,

Rosario, Vancouver, Canada and Sydney, Australia, before finishing in

Singapore. "No doubt about it," he said yesterday, as he hobbled

arond the marathon hotel, "this was by far the toughest".