Friends take on 12 marathons in 12 months

Two friends who met while fundraising for charity are taking on the challenge of running 12 marathons in 12 months.

Taking on the Guernsey Marathon this weekend will be the start of the challenge for Kate Walford, as Laura Coleman-Day nears the end of it.

Both are raising for money for Anthony Nolan, a charity each of them has a personal connection with.

Between them, the pair have raised more than £12,000 for the charity so far.

Mrs Coleman-Day said the Guernsey Marathon would be her "bonus marathon", as by the end of the challenge she would have actually run 13.

She has been raising money for the charity since 2023, after her husband was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia - a rare type of cancer which affects the blood and bone marrow - the year before.

He passed away in 2024 from post-transplant complications.

"Once he passed away I decided that I wanted to raise awareness of Anthony Nolan and money for them.

"They were doing a lot of research into post-transplant and I didn't want anybody else to go through what me and my son have gone through," she said.

Mrs Walford started fundraising for the charity in 2019 after she lost a close friend to cancer, initially running the London marathon.

She said: "It just went from there.

"I have met so many friends through the charity, I have got so many connections through the charity, and obviously I am now really good friends with Laura through the charity."

This weekend will be the first time either of them have run the Guernsey Marathon.

Mrs Walford lives in Guernsey but said "the hills have put me off".

Mrs Coleman-Day, who will travel to the island from Lincolnshire, said she was looking forward to them running together for the first time.

They will also take on the London Marathon together in a few weeks time.

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