Laura Bird completed her 30 before 30 challenge, having run 393 miles in November (Image: Naomi Weir) Group 28 Sign up to our free email newsletter to receive the latest breaking news and daily roundups Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign Up No thanks, close We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. More info Group 28 Thank you for subscribing! We have more newsletters Show Me No thanks, close See our Privacy Notice Many of us have a “30 before 30” list – 30 things they would like to do before turning 30. Most of these lists include places to visit and maybe the odd thrill-seeking thing like a sky dive – not many include 400 miles of running. Laura Bird, 30, from St Ives , has just ticked off everything on her “30 before 30” list. Each item was a half-marathon, one for each day of November. If your maths isn’t quick enough, that means Laura ran 393 miles in November. It was all to raise money for the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA), who saved her life after she tried to take her own life at the age of 18 . Read next: Father Christmas cycles around Cambridge to spread ‘a bit of joy and magic’ How does Laura feel now that she has completed the challenge? “It was just the most incredible, positive, unifying experience,” she says. “It was hard work, don’t get me wrong.” The month was approached like “a military operation,” Laura jokes, “If we weren’t running or eating or sleeping, we were getting bags packed for the next day or cooking lunches or dinners for the next day.” Laura continued working throughout the month, going out for runs on weekday evenings and weekend mornings. She spent 75 hours running and countless more preparing and recovering. She was supported along the way by friends and family, including her dad, who dressed up as Batman on a superhero-themed run. And if you’re wondering about how she coped physically with all that exertion, she was supported by a local physiotherapist, Montagu Physio Clinic. “I did have the occasional ice bath, because research suggests it’s very good for recovery,” she says. “It’s not particularly comfortable.” Laura was helped during her month of half-marathons by a local physiotherapist (Image: Naomi Weir) On two occasions, the CEO of EAAA, Matthew Jones, joined Laura on her journey. He said: “It is remarkable that Laura set herself the task of running 30 marathons in 30 days and achieved it. She is an extraordinary person who I had the privilege to run alongside for a very small fraction of her challenge. ”As part of this extraordinary accomplishment, she also raised over £4,000 for East Anglian Air Ambulance , which will fund one of our missions. Thank you so much, Laura, for your continued incredible support of EAAA.” There were some dark, wet nights, and times when going out to run wasn’t an inviting prospect. To motivate herself, Laura says, she looked towards the “positivity” that the challenge was creating. To date, Laura’s challenge has raised £4,120 for EAAA. She says it feels “amazing” to give back to the charity, particularly given that “it’s such a difficult time financially” for many people. The money raised will go to East Anglian Air Ambulance (Image: Naomi Weir) Laura is back to running, but now that the 30 days are up, she goes out for however long she wants. She says her partner, friends, and family are pleased that she’s taking a break – “I probably owe them a few months’ rest.” On the horizon, she says she would love to swim the channel or travel between Land’s End and John O’Groats. For now, though, she’s putting her well-travelled feet up for a bit. READ MORE: Free Cambridge family Christmas party will bring the snow inside We visited the Cambridge bakery that makes thousands of mince pies every Christmas Show us your Christmas lights and vote for the best display in Cambridgeshire Christmas in Cambridgeshire: The winter wonderland walk just 30 minutes from Peterborough The Cambridge hair salon complete with cocktail bar and coffee shop Story Saved You can find this story in My Bookmarks. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Follow CambridgeLive Facebook Twitter Comment More On St Ives Air ambulance
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Published on : 2022-12-25 06:00:00
Source :cambridgenews
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