Fundraiser completes 31 marathons in 31 days

2 hours ago

Katy Prickett

News image — Laura Bird said she found the first 10 days of the challenge the hardest

Naomi Weir. Laura Bird standing with her arms aloft holding yellow bunting and smiling broadly. She is wearing a yellow T-shirt saying Rays of Sunshine. Behind her are parked cars and a woman in a yellow T-shirt taking a pic of her. — Laura Bird said she found the first 10 days of the challenge the hardest

A woman who ran 31 marathons in 31 days for a children's charity during one of the hottest Mays on record has said she is "quite proud of herself"

Laura Bird, 33, from St Ives in Cambridgeshire, took on the challenge as a fundraiser for Rays of Sunshine, which grants wishes for seriously ill children.

"Life is precious, and it's beautiful, and I'm so proud and privileged to be an ambassador for this beautiful charity," she said, having raised more than £22,000.

Charity CEO Amy Chambers said: "It's a staggering amount of money; it will grant several wishes for seriously ill children."

Naomi Weir A close up of Lucy Bird sitting on the ground wearing a bright yellow T-shirt. Her head is down and she is pouring water from a large plastic bottle onto her head and face. — She had to change her daily run time to keep going as temperatures soared last month

Bird told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire's Dotty McLeod: "I was thinking that the last week to 10 days would be the hardest, but it was actually the first week to 10 days.

"I think that was just my body trying to fight what I was doing."

But as she adapted to the routine, the running became easier, despite running in one of the hottest Mays on record.

"We can't be halfway through a marathon at 30C, 32C, so we would start very early in the morning, start at 06:30 in the mornings when it was so hot," said Bird.

On cooler days, she would set off at 09:00, and on Saturdays and Sundays at 09:30.

Naomi Weir A group of women, men and children cheering, many with their arms aloft and some are holding yellow bunting. Behind them are trees and blue and white skies. — She was met by a crowd of local supporters as she completed her final marathon

The environmental consultant found herself craving sugar and consumed a huge amount of sweets, fizzy drinks and ice cream.

She said the support she had received from her friends Lucy and Pippa, her husband Chris, who followed her in a van with food and drinks, and from people in St Ives "has just been unbelievable".

Bird's challenge came two years after she became the first woman to run a London Marathon with a fridge on her back.

Laura Bird Laura Bird at the London Marathon. She is smiling broadly and has a fridge strapped to her back. Behind her are other competitors. — She has previously raised £14,000 for the same charity by taking part in the London Marathon with a fridge strapped to her back

Rays of Sunshine aims to brighten the lives of seriously ill children aged three to 18 by granting them their wishes, which can range from being a firefighter for a day to meeting their favourite celebrity.

It works closely with their hospitals, including Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.

"A wish is not just nice to have, it is a vital part of a child's journey through their treatment when they're diagnosed with a very serious illness," said Chambers.

"And it goes far greater than that... into providing them with a sense of community."

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