A GOOD Samaritan has raised nearly £5,000 for a mental health charity with a 24-hour ultramarathon.
After five and a half months training, council employee Alex Jones finally got the chance to put her mind and body to the test in a gruelling 24 hour ultramarathon, raising more than £4,700 for the Samaritans.
Taking place during the Bank Holiday weekend, Ms Jones started and finished the exhausting challenge in Pontypool Park, running a total of 80 miles – the equivalent of running three marathons back to back.
To prepare for the huge challenge, Ms Jones was coached by Ray Morgan – Personal Trainer and Sports Massage Therapist based in Cwmbran Stadium, who put her through a tough 22-week training plan.
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Training involved running six days a week over various distances, from three miles to a 32-mile run, and at the peak of her training she was running about 75-miles a week.
Ms Jones said: “The training itself was so much harder than the challenge – I had to fit training in around work, family and uni. One training session involved me running 28+ miles in the snow in Blaenavon, it was pretty torturous and my hair actually froze."
“On the day I was joined about 25 minutes into the run by a fellow runner and then I wasn’t on my own at any point throughout the whole 24 hours. I had someone new to run with every few hours.
“Completing this challenge has given me not just the sense of accomplishment, but reassurance in myself that I can overcome challenges. After a long time of struggling with my own mental health, I have finally achieved something that once seemed like a big feat.”
Outside of work Ms Jones is a keen runner and has been a member of the Pontypool and District Runners for around four years.
She chose to run for Samaritans because now more than ever, they need donations to provide support and help save as many lives as possible.
Before Coronavirus hit, the Samaritans had 20,000 volunteers answering a call for help every six seconds. This could be someone you know, either a family member or friend, that may be in urgent need but unable to talk to anyone in the middle of the night
To support Ms Jones' cause, visit justgiving.com/fundraising/alex-jones86
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