A Richmond woman has smashed her ambitious fundraising challenge for the British Heart Foundation, running almost 1,200 miles before her 40th birthday.
Rachael Ridley set herself the goal of running 1,000 miles in the six months leading up to turning 40 as part of her “40 before 40” challenge.
Not only did she reach the target a month early, but by the end of the six-month challenge she had completed an impressive 1,190 miles.
Sharing her achievement, Rachael said: “I set myself a goal to hit 1,000 miles running in six months before I hit the big 40. Well, five months in I hit the 1,000 mark. I finished off at six months with 1,190.096 miles.”
The challenge, which began on December 8, was launched to raise money for the British Heart Foundation, helping fund research into heart and circulatory diseases.
Earlier this year, Rachael explained that she wanted to support the charity because, despite significant progress in treatment and research, hundreds of people still die every day from heart and circulatory conditions.
She said: “The BHF has helped halve the number of people dying from heart and circulatory disease in the UK, but sadly every day hundreds of people still lose their lives.
“It’s only thanks to support from people like us that the BHF can create new treatments and discover new cures.”
Rachael’s original aim involved running around 40 miles each week in the run-up to her milestone birthday, but her final total far exceeded expectations, averaging nearly 46 miles a week over the six-month period.
The fundraiser has attracted support from friends, family and fellow runners, helping to raise money for research that could lead to new treatments and cures.
Celebrating the achievement, Rachael thanked supporters and reflected on the challenge’s success, adding simply: “God I love running.”
Donations to support Rachael’s fundraising for the British Heart Foundation can still be made through her JustGiving page.
