Pounding his way through the London Marathon, the unstoppable athlete proved he had fought his way back from tragedy.

And he raised around $55,000 -- the biggest-ever cash donation to his beloved Masterworks art foundation.

Now Mr. Butterfield, 45, is giving up marathon running for good.

He finished the 26-mile race, one of the world's biggest sporting events, in four hours and 45 minutes.

It was his fifth marathon. But it was his first since October, 1992, when he was rushed to Boston by air ambulance after passing out on a run. He had suffered a bleed in his brain.

"Just a year and a half ago I was at death's door,'' Mr. Butterfield said from London, where he is staying with friends.

"This was something I really wanted to do, to set the record straight. "I enjoyed it. It just felt comfortable the whole way.

"The British crowds are wonderful, the British runners are wonderful, and the organisation of 26,000 runners was unbelievable.

"I shall miss doing the London Marathon, but I'm happy to put it to bed. I might spectate, but I will not participate.'' Mr. Butterfield ran under grey, cloudy skies and in temperatures only a few degrees above freezing.

But the conditions on the streets of London helped, he said.

"I did only one 12-mile run prior to this marathon, and the rest have been sixes or eights and things like that.

"Bermuda is warm and a lot hillier. London is very flat and cooler, and I just sort of timed myself through the thing.'' Mr. Butterfield is director of Masterworks Foundation, dedicated to collecting and preserving local art.

Spokesperson Mrs. Elise Outerbridge said: "It was really touch and go for a while in Boston. I must say, I was a little nervous about him running.

"I said he was nuts, but he was determined to do it one more time. I just feel it's quite a feat.'' The amount raised by more than 400 pledges was "by far'' the biggest cash donation to the six-year-old foundation.

People could still contribute to the fund-raising effort, she added.