A Southampton man has completed his first official half marathon after his son secretly entered him into the London Marathon to raise money for a scout hut.

Nikhil Agrawala, a 45-year-old father of two from Southampton, received confirmation he had been accepted into the 2025 London Marathon last year, despite having no prior marathon experience.

In an attempt to find out why he’d been accepted into the race – Nikhil discovered his 13-year-old son, Ansh, had applied on his behalf in secret, with Nikhil embracing the challenge.

In preparation for the London Marathon on Sunday, April 27, Nikhil trained for five months and entered his first official half marathon at the Southampton Half Marathon race on Sunday, April 6.

Nikhil successfully finished the race with a personal best time of two hours and 27 minutes.

“It was thrilling and also quite a challenge,” said Nikhil, speaking to the Echo.

“It was a fantastic atmosphere with nearly 10,000 runners in total, it was incredible to be running along and hear people cheering your name.

“It was tricky because you have to go over the Itchen Bridge twice and it was a hot day with lots of hills to run over but I think it was such a great experience, and I was so high on adrenaline that I managed to finish the race with a personal best time.”

Nikhil Agrawala after finishing the Southampton Half Marathon (Image: Supplied) READ MORE: Son secretly enters Southampton dad into London Marathon

Nikhil’s marathon journey has seen him raise more than £1,700 for the 2nd Southampton Scouts in Shirley, with the IT worker hoping to raise £2,500 by the time he completes the London Marathon in two weeks’ time.

Ansh suffers with cerebral palsy and is unable to walk unaided. A keen member of the scouts, he needs to be carried in and out of the building that dates back to the 1950s.

Nikhil hopes the money raised from completing the London Marathon will go towards modernising the building and help improve accessibility for his son.

Looking ahead to the London marathon, Nikhil said: “I’ve received my start time already, I’ll begin the marathon at 10.30am.

“I’m looking forward to it and now I have a better idea of what to expect.

“I’d like to thank my family and friends who have supported me, many of which cheered me on at the Southampton Half Marathon.”

People can support Nikhil's fundraising by clicking here.