FORGET running 100km in a month – one Wokingham resident ran that distance in just one week.
Last month, Vicky Hammond embarked on the mammoth task of running 100km over seven days to raise money for Helen & Douglas House, a hospice which provides end of life care to terminally ill children in Berkshire and beyond.
And Vicky managed to raise more than £3,000 for the charity.
After completing the Virtual London Marathon on Sunday, October 4, the keen runner set off on the 50km Run to the Sea Ultra Marathon the following weekend, all the while raising money and awareness for the hospice.
“I initially signed up for the London Marathon in April and it was postponed to October,” Vicky explains.
“And when the October race looked like it was going to be cancelled, I decided that I didn’t want to waste my training so signed up for my first ever ultra marathon – Run to the Sea.”
Over the course of the week, from Sunday, October 4 until Sunday, October 11, Vicky raised £3,289.
She did so through holding her very own coffee morning, which raised £560 for the hospice, as well as an online auction which raised £950.
And alongside sponsorships for the run, she smashed her original target of raising £2,500.
“Helen & Douglas House is a local charity that has been the lifeline for many Wokingham families, providing a home-from-home care for terminally ill children and their families,” says Vicky.
“At the toughest time of their lives, families are given the time and space to enjoy the precious moments they have left with each other.
“These donations mean that families don’t have to face the unthinkable alone.”
According to the hospice, it costs £3.6 million each year to run its services and 85% of this comes from donations.
“We are so grateful for the money Vicky has raised for us taking on these two running challenges,” says Julia Woodcock from Helen & Douglas House.
“Without amazing supporters like this we simply wouldn’t be here to help local families with terminally ill children.”
To make a donation, visit Vicky’s fundraiser at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/vickyjhammond
