Mum to run 111 miles for daughter's school

Josy said Amalie "loves" her school

A mum is taking on an epic ultramarathon to raise funds for her daughter's school.

So far, Josy Hayes has raised just shy of £13,000 for St Rose's in Stroud, where her daughter Amalie, 14, has been for the last decade.

Ms Hayes said staff at the special needs school go "above and beyond" for Amalie, who was left with significant brain damage after a "terrible illness" as a baby.

Ms Hayes and her friend, Nikki Owen, will tackle the "gruelling" 111-mile Warwickshire Ring Canal Race on June 29 and 30.

'Very lucky'

Speaking to BBC Radio Gloucestershire, Ms Hayes said that she and Amalie are "very lucky" to have St Rose's.

"Amalie had a terrible illness when she was a little baby, so life changed dramatically and I don't know what I would have done without St Rose's," she said.

"They take these children hands-on and are just amazing.

"Everything these kids need, they can have there, which is just fantastic."

Josy is happy to take on the "crazy" challenge if it means raising money for St Rose's, which provides "one-on-one" care to children like Amalie

Ms Owen suggested Ms Hayes joined her on the ultramarathon when she mentioned she wanted to raise money for St Rose's, but was unsure how.

The Warwickshire Ring Canal Race starts and finishes at Coventry Canal Basin, taking runners on an anti-clockwise circular route around Coventry, Birmingham, Warwickshire and Oxfordshire.

Every 25 miles, runners are greeted with refreshments, although they have to meticulously plan timings, what they're going to eat and what they carry in their rucksacks.

The race kicks off at 08.00 BST on Saturday 29 June, and the runners have 33 hours - until 17.00 BST on Sunday 30 June - to cross the finish line.

'Really pretty'

"At least it's along canals, which are really pretty, so I have to say this sort of race is right up my street," Ms Hayes said.

"I think there's going to be up to 150 runners, but a lot of them might be very professional and competing at a high level.

"I just want to try and finish if I can; it's really all about raising money for St Rose's.

"The advice I've been given is just, psychologically, to have every 25 miles to put some deodorant on, brush your teeth, just little things to help you push on through.

"There's going to be a lot of blood, sweat and tears."

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