Woman runs 60-mile ultramarathon in memory of mum who died of cancer

Thirty-three-year-old Sarah Barker has raised £1,773 so far for Hartlepool’s Alice House Hospice and The Solan Connor Fawcett Charity Trust in memory of her mum, Elizabeth Dobell, who died of cancer in 2016 aged 54.

The primary school teacher from Easington ran laps around Castle Eden Dene to complete the miles with two members of the Peterlee Ladies Running Club, Tracey Anderson and Colin Hancock, who is head of the club.

Sarah said: “I never wanted to give up and neither did Tracey. We had a pep talk the night before and Tracey said, ‘not finishing isn’t an option’.”

Sarah found the run challenging and at about 30 miles began to feel sick.

"I was unable to get food or water down,” she said, “which was starting to make me feel weak, lightheaded and nauseous.

"I had to take time to talk to myself, to tell myself that there were no other options. It had to be finished.”

Sarah ran the ultramarathon in 15 hours and was greeted at home by a crowd of supportive friends and family.

Sarah said: “Having the support around us from friends, family and members of our amazing club was, and is, like having fairy dust in your pocket.

"Sprinkle it at the right time and you can do anything.”

The chief executive officer of the Solan Connor Fawcett Charity Trust, Mark Solan, gifted Sarah with a signed shirt by Sunderland football legend Jimmy Montgomery to raise even more money.

Donations can still be made at https://alicehousehospice.enthuse.com/pf/sarah-barker.