Three flatmates from Wilmslow have raised nearly £2,000 for Manchester United and England football legend Michael Carrick's charity by completing a marathon with a difference – and that was just for starters!
Rachel Hartley, Lydia Heerey and Zilah Chaudhry ran a mile around Wilmslow on the hour, every hour to complete their marathon. They began their mission at 5pm on Friday and finished it at 7pm on Saturday.
The trio were joined at various intervals by relatives, colleagues and friends running in socially-distanced formation. The guest runners included Michael's wife Lisa.
Now the pals have embarked on the second leg of their fundraising efforts for the Michael Carrick Foundation, which provides opportunities for young people through community projects across Greater Manchester and Tyne and Wear.
They are running, walking or cycling five kilometres each day during December, clocking up a total of 465km.
So far their endeavours have raised £1,951 for the charity.
Rachel, 27 is the operations excellence manager at Macclesfield-based Kinaxia Logistics. Lydia, 28, is a PA at Waterland Private Equity in Wilmslow and Zilah, 31, is a manager at testing company ALS Food and Pharmaceutical.
Rachel, 27, said: "The Michael Carrick Foundation is a fantastic charity that supports young people by unlocking their sporting potential, developing their skills and resilience and helping them to become positive figures in their communities.
"Zilah plays netball with Lisa and did the 5km challenge last year. She was doing it again this year, and Lydia and I thought we should give it a go too. The marathon idea was just something we set out to do as a bit of a challenge to ourselves.
"We really pushed ourselves to the limit. The sleep deprivation was tough, but we had a little nap between some of the one-mile runs, me more than the other two! After the 1am mile, I needed to put ice on my knees to recover!
"It was well worth the effort though, as we have managed to raise an excellent sum of money for a brilliant cause."
Michael wrote on the Michael Carrick Foundation's social media channels: "A huge thank you to these three superheroes. Every penny will go to support disadvantaged young people."
You can donate to the trio's fundraising appeal.
