Newbury woman gearing up for the London Marathon

Edwina Gudgeon is raising money for Daisy's Dream in memory of her late sister

A NEWBURY woman who vowed never to run 26.2 miles again after completing her maiden marathon last year has changed her mind and will be pounding the streets of the capital on Sunday.

Edwina Gudgeon braved the hottest London Marathon on record last year to raise money for Newbury Cancer Care, in memory of her late sister Alice.

Inspired by the ‘buzz’ she felt from the event, the 47-year-old is running the 26.2-mile route for local children’s bereavement charity Daisy’s Dream, which supported her family in the weeks after her sister’s death from bowel cancer in July 2010.

Daisy’s Dream provides services to families free of charge and it does not receive any statutory funding for its work.

Mrs Gudgeon said: “The day we had to tell our two young daughters that their beloved auntie was going to die was absolutely heartbreaking.

“Your job as a parent is to protect your children from hurt as much as you possibly can.

“To have to sit them down and tell them something which you know is going to shatter their illusions that everything is rosy in the world goes against everything you’ve ever done.

“Daisy’s Dream were there to support us and our children as well as my sister and her children.”

Mrs Gudgeon has already reached her £2,000 fundraising target for the charity – but is hoping she can raise even more before the big race.

Mrs Gudgeon said: “I did say last year that I would never do it again.

“It was so hot I struggled with it, so I want to do it again and see what I can do.

“I’ve found the training just as hard. It’s about getting out there running on your own.

“I did my longest run of 20 miles recently – and I’m still feeling it days later.”

To sponsor Mrs Gudgeon, visit https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com and search Edwina Gudgeon

Contact newsdesk@newburynews.co.uk with if you're from West Berkshire or North Hampshire and running the London Marathon.