A woman from Suffolk is taking on a 12-hour running challenge to raise funds for St Elizabeth Hospice to show her gratitude to the staff and hospice for the care and support they gave to her father.
Taking place on 7th August at The Shannon pub in Bucklesham, Wendy Kelway will be joined by her friend and running partner, Cathy Baxter as they take on the endurance challenge.
Starting at noon and finishing at midnight, the runathon will see the two ladies taking turns to run 30 minutes on a treadmill, while friends and pub patrons offer their support and much needed food and refreshments.
Wendy has chosen to complete the runathon in memory of her father, Barrie Murton, who died in August 2019, at his home, while under the care of St Elizabeth Hospice after having been diagnosed with terminal cancer.
“The hospice nurses were absolute angels and provided amazing support to dad, visiting him daily and sometimes two or three times a day,” explained Wendy.
“Their support enabled dad to remain at home, providing him with the dignity he deserved and he was able to pass away under his beloved family clock, which was extremely important to him.
“Before we contacted the hospice, caring for dad had been very special and something I am glad to have done as we had always had a fantastic bond, however the hospice’s support allowed me to be a daughter again and these experiences have made me keen to give back to the hospice in any way I can.”
Similar to many, with the closure of gyms and swimming pools due to Covid-19, Wendy began running in March 2020 and has not looked back. With the runathon likely to see Cathy and Wendy run a total of 75 miles, they are both training hard for the challenge in preparation for the grueling twelve hours.
As well as the runathon Wendy has already raised more than £3,000 for St Elizabeth Hospice via a number of fundraising activities, including baking cakes for friends and signing up for the Brighton Marathon later this year.
Wendy added: “I’m nervous and excited about the challenge, but training has been going well. It will be fun being in our local pub as I think lots of friends and family will come to support and spur us on.
“To everyone who has already donated I want to say how thankful I am, as every donation means so much and will make a difference to the hospice and help them to care for others in the community with their vital services.”
Joanne Rodger, Events and Challenges Manager at St Elizabeth Hospice, said: “We are so grateful to Wendy for taking on this incredible challenge and wish her and Cathy the best of luck.
“The generosity of the local community, from people like Wendy, is so important to our staff and to all the patients and families under our care. As an independent charity their support enables us to continue providing our much needed services and care provision to patients and families living through very difficult times in their lives.”
To donate towards Wendy’s challenge visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/wendykelway.