A FORMER Olympic therapist who once worked with Oscar Pistorius has hand picked a group of elite masseurs to help treat more than 1,000 runners at the London Marathon.

Oxford United’s soft tissue therapist ((MASSEUR)) Chris Chesterman, from Risinghurst, was chosen by charity the NSPCC to sift through applicants and organise a team of 40 masseurs for the third year running.

The 45 year old said he was eager to help people who “cry at marathons because they are hurting”, adding that his own experience of running the London Marathon motivates him to help others.

Mr Chesterman was instrumental in organising massage therapy at the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics on behalf of Sports Massage Association, helping the likes of Oscar Pistorius recuperate in between races.

Our top stories

The NSPCC needed a London Marathon Sports Massage team to help 1,000 people running for the charity, and Mr Chesterman was considered the best candidate because of his ties with the association.

The dad of two, who also runs his own clinic Back2Best in Headington, said the team will offer massages, food and recuperation after the run.

The 45 year old said he tries to select experienced masseurs, because often runners will need emotional as well as physical support.

He added: “I will help runners through the marathon and with recuperation by giving them a massage and somewhere for them to go afterwards.

“They will go to the King’s College (in The Strand) where we have got massage tables and therapists to help them.

“The runners are students and I will give them some emotional support after the event.

“I have kids myself and I have run the London marathon for the NSPCC before.

“I’m doing it to get them looked after because it is the first time a lot of them will have run a marathon.

“The NSPCC emailed me a couple of years ago asking me if I could provide this service for their runners and they went through the Sports Massage Association.

“Applicants submit some letters saying why they want to do it and you just get a feeling about them and if they have worked in professional sport it helps because they have worked under pressure.

“I’m proud to be taking part. The NSPCC is a brilliant charity.”