Runner Farrah celebrates 12 marathons for NHS charity
A Black Country running member has completed a dozen marathons in 2020 to raise more than £300 for the Dudley NHS Covid-19 Crisis Appeal.
Farrah Hunter-Coley, from Wombourne, who is a member of Dudley Kingswinford (DK) Running Club, set herself a challenge at the start of this year of running 12 marathons by the end of 2020.
She completed the Wolverhampton Trail Half Marathon to Wombourne on March 14, and then straight after ran another 13 miles on her own to add up to a full marathon.
But after the UK went into lockdown, with group races inevitably cancelled up and down the country, Farrah had to come up with another plan to meet her goal.
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She decided to get up at 4.30am each Saturday and run the marathons close to her home, taking in Wombourne, Wall Heath, Dudley, Stourbridge and the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal route along with the South Staffordshire Railway Walk.
Farrah wanted to raise as much money as possible to help the NHS fight the pandemic so set up a fundraising page for the Dudley Group NHS Charity Covid-19 Crisis Appeal.
After completing each solo marathon, Farrah submitted her results to the marathon organisers who sent her a virtual medal in recognition of her efforts.
When Farrah recently finished her twelfth marathon, her husband, Mark, and three sons, Isaak, 12, Jakob, nine, and Joel, six, set up a finish line in The Celadines, in Wombourne, with a banner welcoming Farrah home.
Farrah said: “It has taken a lot of motivation and commitment leaving my husband and boys all sleeping in bed and going out to pound the streets. Most people just shake their heads and say I am nuts.
“I am pleased to have so far raised £325 for such a good cause. Although my original plan was to run twelve marathons, I am going to carry on and aim to complete twenty marathons by the end of the year. But I will have to see how my tired legs hold up.”
To support Farrah, visit justgiving.com/fundraising/farrah-hunter-coley12in12
