Mum runs 53 ultramarathons in 53 days

A mum who has run 53 ultramarathons in 53 days has described the past three days as some of the toughest of her life

Amy Hughes, aged 36, ran her final 53km on Saturday - the last leg of a marathon effort to raise money for the mental health charity Bigmoose.

She was joined by fellow runners for the final 5.5 km, setting off from her pilates studio on Lloyd Street, Sculpt In Haus, at 13:30 BST.

She chose to fundraise for the mental health charity having suffered from an eating disorder in her teens, and credits running and sport with improving her mental health and “changing her life”.

“I did a run for them a couple of years ago," she says, of Bigmoose. "Their whole team is amazing, they do incredible things.

"I’ve seen first-hand how they’ve helped other people, so it was a no-brainer for me.”

Ms Hughes began her challenge on 24 July, and has covered a total distance of 2,809 km (1,745 miles) in less than two months.

On average, she estimates she ran for between six and six and a half hours each day - with pauses for food breaks and, very occasionally, dropping to a walking pace.

She has also incorporated nine different locations into her challenge - running 53km in Chester, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Cambridge, London, Bath, Cardiff, her home town of Oswestry, and finishing in Manchester.

She says the most gruelling run was her 50th because the weather turned - it was rainy and hailing and “she wasn’t feeling it”.

Ten years ago, in 2014, she ran 53 marathons in 53 days to raise money for the Isabelle Lottie Foundation, after a friend's daughter, three-year-old Izzy Wynne, was diagnosed with a form of brain tumour.

This time. her partner and three-year-old daughter have been cheering her on from their home in Macclesfield.

“I think he has the hardest challenge actually - he’s been at home for five weeks without me, holding the fort!”