ONE WOKINGHAM resident ran her Virtual London Marathon at the weekend, but she still has another 11 miles to go.
Kelly Bradley is running 65 miles over the course of 2020 to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.
So far, she has completed the Wokingham Half Marathon, the Wokingham Walk, and her own Wokingham marathon, all while raising awareness of the disease.
“My 40-year-old cousin has cystic fibrosis,” Kelly said.
”She was always told that she probably wouldn’t live to be an adult and the average life expectancy of someone born with the disease is currently 41, so it’s all very emotional..
And she has already doubled her fundraising target – Kelly initially wanted to raise £1,000.
“I’ll probably start crying when I think about the support I’ve received”, she said. “To raise this much money is absolutely amazing. I think if it had been a ‘normal’ year and I had the opportunity to go out and fundraise, we could have raised even more, but I’m really thrilled at what we’ve achieved.”
Ms Bradley ran her own Wokingham marathon with a friend from university, and the route she had planned took the pair all around the local area.
Starting in Wokingham town centre, they ran through Gorrick Woods, past Crowthorne train station, through California Country Park and more before crossing the finish line just by Kelly’s front door.
“It made it extra special to do my own marathon in Wokingham,” she said.
“They called it ‘your marathon, your way’ and it really felt like that for me. To be able to stop by people’s houses and see the local area was just amazing.”
Kelly plans to finish 64 of her ‘65 miles for Cystic Fibrosis’ at the end of the year with the Mapledurham Run.
She will then complete the final mile of her journey with her cousin in December – they plan to cross the finish line together.
To read Kelly’s story and donate to her fundraiser, visit: bit.ly/30FUHvP
