Twelve hour runathon raises funds for hospice

A Suffolk woman has completed a 12-hour running challenge to raise vital funds for St Elizabeth Hospice to show her gratitude to the staff and hospice for the care and support they gave to her father.

Starting at noon and finishing just before Midnight, on Saturday 7th August, Wendy Kelway was joined by her friend and running partner, Cathy Baxter, as they completed their endurance challenge at The Shannon pub in Bucklesham.

The runathon saw the two ladies taking turns to run 30 minutes on a treadmill, while friends and pub patrons offered their support and much needed food and refreshments as the day progressed, with the duo running a combined 66 miles and raising more than £660 in the process.

“What a great day. It was exhausting and the last few hours were tough but the donations and support made it all worthwhile,” said Wendy.

“Cathy and I are now well and truly ready and excited for the Brighton Marathon on September 12th. Let’s hope it goes well and we might have a little rest from silly challenges for a few months!”

Wendy chose 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 funds for the runathon sees Wendy’s total raised for St Elizabeth Hospice in the last year surpass £4,300, which has been raised through a number of fundraising activities, including baking cakes for friends and signing up for the Brighton Marathon later this year.

Joanne Rodger, Events and Challenges Manager at St Elizabeth Hospice, said: “On behalf of the St Elizabeth Hospice family I want to say a massive ‘congratulations and thank you’ to Wendy and Cathy on completing their runathon in aid of the hospice. What an achievement!

“It has been great to support Wendy over the last year with her fundraising and we look forward to continuing to support her in reaching her £10,000 target and her ultimate goal of completing the Brighton Marathon later this year.”

To donate towards Wendy’s challenge visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/wendykelway.