Kilburn woman tackles 12 marathons in 12 months for charity
Helen Gray will raise vital funds for disadvantaged African children
In what is the Olympic year, a kind-hearted Kilburn woman is taking on a gladiatorial challenge to make even the hardiest of Olympians proud.
Helen Gray is in the midst of a quest which will see her run 12 marathons in 12 months as she strives to raise vital funds for disadvantaged African children.
Miss Gray who has already completed half of the gruelling tests and has travelled across the country is now looking for the backing to help her get over the line.
The 30-year-old, who lives in Kilburn High Road, is raising funds for The Village of Hope, a centre near the Tanzanian capital of Dodoma which looks after children who have lost their parents to aids.
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“It’s a great cause and they do some fantastic work, they have a school and hospice on site and with extra funds they can really make a difference to children’s lives” she explained.
Since starting the challenge at the start of the year, Miss Gray, whose only experience of marathon running came four years ago in the London Marathon, has ran in Gloucester, Bournemouth and even as far away as Milan raising nearly �600.
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She said: “I didn’t realise how hard it would be, I am at the half way point now and it’s becoming really tough.
“I had run one marathon before but this is different. It’s one of those situations where you know something is so tough but you have to pull through because of what you are raising money for and the final goal.”
After finishing the challenge, Miss Gray plans to visit the village with her work colleagues to donate the money and see it being put to good use.
She added: “I decided to do something harder than normal fundraising, it’s all very well asking for money but when you are actually doing something that sounds impressive it will hopefully make people more inclined to give.”
Miss Gray, will be keeping a blog throughout her journey, to keep track of her progress or to donate money to The Village of Hope visit http://thetortoiseandthevillageofhope.tumblr.com/
