TWO women are taking on an impressive running challenge in aid of Motor Neurone Disease (MND) research.
Emma Cummings and Katy Noble, who both work at Kingsland Primary School, have taken on an ‘Ultra 7 in 7 challenge’ to raise funds for the Motor Neurone Disease Association.
At the time of publication the pair had completed their fifth 5km run.
“After we lost Doddie, and me coming up to being 30, I wanted to do something memorable for me and my friend,” said Emma. “[I wanted to] do something to raise a bit of money for MND after watching a load of documentaries and stuff, there’s a lot of funding but we’re not any further [toward a cure].
“Doddie always said MND is not incurable, it’s underfunded.”
She added: “We’re really enjoying the running, physically and mentally.
“It’s a lot better than I thought it was going to be, to be honest. I thought in my head that I wasn’t going to be able to do it.
“The fundraising page is helping a lot, we’ve got so much support behind us.”
Emma and Katy were inspired to take on the challenge after the death of Borders rugby legend and MND campaigner Doddie Weir in November. It is influenced by the ultra marathon mission completed by Kevin Sinfield.
Over seven days Emma and Katy will complete six runs of 5-7km, and on their final run on Sunday (February 19) the duo will complete 13.5km.
At the time of publication the pair had raised more than four times their initial target of £200, raising £895, with offers of cash donations also being made.
And as Emma and Katy have raised more than £77 for the MND Association, they will receive medals once they complete their challenge.
Emma said: “They [MND Association] send you out medals, but we haven’t seen them yet.
“So when we finish, we’re running from Peebles to Walkerburn on Sunday, that’s the big one. And my mum is going to present the medals to us when we finish.”
To donate to Emma and Katy’s Ultra 7 in 7 challenge, visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/emz-cummings
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