A PAIR of experienced ultra-marathon runners are taking on their biggest challenge yet in memory of their little brother.
Brother and sister Michael Cooke and Ellen Wood, from Crickhowell, are in heavy training to take on the GB-Ultra race, which covers a 200-mile route across the Pennine Way.
And there will be no slacking as there’s a 100-hour cut-off time for competitors, meaning they will have to finish the race in under four days and four hours.
The pair are doing the run to raise money for Ty Hafan children’s hospice and Great Ormond Street children’s hospice.
They will be running in memory of their brother Phillip, who died from a deadly genetic disease called adreoleukodystrophy (ALD) in 1984 when he was only 14.
Making the first day of the race extremely poignant is the fact that it will also be the 33rd anniversary of Phillip’s death. This, says Ellen, will give them extra motivation during the hardest part of the run when they have to reach an 81-mile cut-off point within 24 hours.
Ellen and Michael recently made a visit to Crickhowell Primary School with Julie Williams from Ty Hafan, where they spoke to the children about the two charities they are running for.
Of the school visit, Ellen said: “It was extremely heart-warming, due to the fact Phillip and ourselves attended the primary school, to see how inspired and willing the whole school was in contributing to the effort to support our causes.”
Ellen and Michael have been training for the race for nine months and recently spent two days running along the forest trails of Coed y Brenin in Snowdonia. To support Ellen and Michael by contributing to their charities, visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ellen-wood2?utm_id=13