HIRSUTE East Lothian marathon man Kevin Veitch proved he was a cut above the rest by completing a hat-trick of epic running challenges... then having his trademark beard shaved off for charity.

Reminiscent of the long run scene from the award-winning movie Forrest Gump, the 40-year-old dad-of-two from Port Seton crossed the finish line of the Edinburgh Marathon on Sunday in four hours, 17 minutes.

This brought to an end his trio of marathon races, including Paris and London in April, with him on course to raise £4,000 for a charity in support of a work colleague’s son.

The cash will be donated to The Eileen McCallum Trust, which aids boys and young men with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a genetic muscle wasting disease that causes muscles to weaken over time, leading to increasingly severe disability.

Kevin, a private secretary at the Scottish Parliament, decided to raise funds for the charity as his colleague Lesley Swan’s seven-year-old son Rory has the condition.

Kevin said the marathon was tough because of the hot conditions as the temperature rose during the day.

“It was a real challenge. The time was slower than the other two marathons. I think the culmination of three marathons caught up with me,” he told the Courier.

Kevin, a big Hibernian fan, said the two days of celebration after his team won the recent Scottish Cup final also went against his training regime.

He was cheered on by family and friends. In the crowd were Lesley, her husband Chris, Rory and his sister Bryony, five, who had travelled from their home in Penicuik.

After the marathon, they all gathered at the Ravelston House Hotel to watch Kevin have the beard he had been growing for the past 18 months shaved off in support of the charity.

Rory had the honour of taking the first cut off the beard, followed by Kevin’s youngest son Jed, aged four, wife Cara, who comes from Port Seton, and good friend Johnny Brown from Musselburgh, who also works with Lesley.

The shave took place alfresco, where other members of the community, who were enjoying the sunshine, joined in the after-marathon fun.

Kevin explained that he started with “designer stubble” 18 months ago but for the past 10 months his beard had been left to grow.

“When I started running, I associated it with Forrest Gump and thought I’ll grow a beard as big as I can and shave it off at the end of the marathons,” he explained.

Although from Portobello originally, Kevin has close ties with Musselburgh, where he has friends and serves on the committee of Musselburgh Athletic Junior Football Club.

His local pub, the Ship Inn at Musselburgh, also helped his fundraising effort by keeping sponsor sheets behind the bar.

Lesley, from Penicuik, said: “Kevin’s achievement is absolutely fabulous. We are so pleased he chose to fundraise for the trust and are so proud of him.”

She saidd that the trust helps boys with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy by providing vehicles adapted for wheelchairs, home improvements and gave cheques each Christmas.

A percentage of Kevin’s fundraising total will go into Rory’s bank account, enabling him to buy his first dog – a Lhasa Apso, known for its non-allergic qualities.