Heywood running coach becomes 51st woman in the world to complete the Brathay Trust’s 10 in 10 marathon challenge

A running coach from Heywood has become the 51st woman in the world to have completed the 10 in 10 marathon challenge for the Brathay Trust youth charity.

Samantha Morris completed the 10-marathon challenge on 21 May – the day of the Windermere marathon.

The 10 in 10 challenge sees entrants run the Windermere marathon course 10 times, finishing on the official day of the 26.2-mile race.

She said: “The last day was the worst day; it was very up and down. If day one was a good run, day two wasn’t, then day three was a good one again.

“I wasn’t the slowest, but that wasn’t the goal. I’m the 51st woman worldwide to have done it, and I can’t believe it! It was amazing.”

Samantha, a member of Ramsbottom Running Club, averaged a time of six hours and 45 minutes, with her fastest clocking in at five hours and 41 minutes.

Samantha has also praised the organisers for a “very well-organised” event.

“They did anything and everything,” she added. “We had some third-year students giving sports massages. There’s some truth in ‘no pain, no gain’.”

When asked what she found difficult, Samantha cited the warm weather and the mental battle of doing 26.2-miles the following day.

“It was warm every day. I took a rain poncho but I didn’t need it. I’d done a marathon a few years ago and it was torrential. Someone back then gave me a poncho and it was a lifesaver.

“It was tougher than tough to go out. Every other day was rough but there was never any way I’d give up. I knew I wanted to succeed and do it, but I still had to battle!”

Samantha has also nearly reached her target of raising £3,000 for the Brathay Trust, which aims to improve the life chances of thousands of young people across Yorkshire and Cumbria, and the North West in real need every year.

She said: “So many people donated so the target should be reached, which is brilliant. 100% goes to the charity and some of the kids actually came to watch us. It’s brilliant because you can see what your efforts are going towards.”

Now, having completed a total of 67 marathons, Samantha is aiming to complete 100 before the end of next year and become part of the 100-marathon club, which is an affiliated running club.

“There’s a 100-marathon club so I’m working towards that now. My next marathon is in mid-July and it’s organised by one of the 10 in 10ers.

“I wouldn’t do it [the 10 in 10] again; I’ve done it now. But I’d definitely go and cheer on the runners on the last day. Past 10 in 10ers came to cheer us on the last day which was absolutely fabulous because they know what we were going through.

“It really did help and was a real adventure.”

Donations can still be made via www.justgiving.com/samantha-morris1010