Comedian to perform 12 gigs while running 78 miles

A woman who almost died in a bike crash is taking on three marathons back-to-back while stopping along the route to perform 12 comedy sets.

Klaire Alexander, 46, from Corsham in Wiltshire, was knocked off her bike in 2023 and said if it was not for the Wiltshire & Bath Air Ambulance's "flying hospital" she could have died.

"What they did at the side of the road was ultimately life-changing for me," Alexander said.

To say thank you to staff, the mother-of-four hopes to raise £14,000 for the charity - the amount it takes to fund the air ambulance for one day.

She added: "I was cycling along and had my arm out to make a turn, with a couple of white van drivers stopping to wave me across the road. Another driver clearly hadn't worked out why the vans had stopped and overtook them before crashing into me.

"The car clipped my elbow at speed and knocked me to the ground, where I sustained a knock to the back of my head."

She suffered a severe brain injury, which led to epilepsy and anosmia (a loss of smell).

This meant she had to leave her career as a mechanical engineer and has now retrained as a brewer and stand-up comic.

Her fundraising challenge will begin at her Corsham home on Saturday. She will then run through parts of Bath, Bristol, Chippenham and Melksham before finishing at the charity's HQ in Semington in Wiltshire on Sunday.

To prepare for the 78-mile (125 km) feat, Alexander has been training almost daily to build up her stamina.

She added: "It's slightly surreal and I'm quite nervous. But I'm also quite excited by the challenge of it.

"I used to do a lot of running before the accident, so it's a way to feel like the old me and prove to my four children that things really can't stand in your way no matter what happens.

"Someone said to my 10-year-old daughter at school, 'why is your mum doing this?' and she said 'because if life knocks you down, stand up'."

Sam Conway, community team leader for for the charity, said Alexander has been an incredible champion, fundraising with sky dives, comedy nights and more.

"Not only do they raise essential funds, but they spread the word and inspire others to get involved in their own way.

"As a Charity receiving no government funding, we simply couldn't do the lifesaving missions without our community," Conway added.

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