Elaine Battson is no stranger to marathons and when she crosses the finish line at The Mall on April 13 she will be celebrating a remarkable anniversary.

This year’s marathon will be Elaine’s 100th, having competed in her first in 2003. She has since travelled around the world running in Tokyo, New York and Berlin – as well as competing in the Boston Marathon last year when a bomb killed three people.

She said: “I am starting to get excited. It is my home marathon and it is where I did my first one. Nowhere is like London with all the fancy dress and charity.”

The 48-year-old from Southgate Road in De Beauvoir runs for Victoria Park Harriers in Hackney and is raising money for Shelter, the charity that works to alleviate the misery of homelessness and bad housing.

Speaking about why she is running for the charity, Elaine said: “I think it is a really fantastic charity and, with housing being such an issue at the moment, and what they do makes a difference.”

She has already raised more than £700 and would love to get around the course in under four hours despite having suffered some injuries in the run-up to the marathon.

Though Elaine was not hurt in the Boston Marathon last year, she looks back on the day almost 12 months ago with sadness.

“I read an article about it last weekend and I started getting tearful. You just don’t expect it to happen.

“I had just finished and collected my medal when I heard it go off.”