“It felt absolutely amazing”- Councillor’s 24 hour wheelchair marathon raises nearly £2,000 for children’s disability charity

The marathon started in Hotham Park, Bognor Regis, on Sunday and ended the next day, with Amanda, chairman of Arun District Council, wheeling night and day through Hotham Park and Marine Park Gardens, stopping only for food, toilet breaks and maintenance.

Unlike a traditional marathon, which sees participants racing to cover 26 miles in the shortest time possible, this was arguably an even greater test of the Yapton resident’s resilience and will-power, challenging her to go as far as possible in the time allocated.

She had originally planned to cover 26 miles – the distance of a standard marathon – but wound up doubling that number, clocking up 53 miles.

She said: “The miles seemed to tick by quite quickly and I realised when we got to 12 hours, that I’d actually completed a marathon.

“At about 4.30 in the morning, I ran back with the charity organiser for PACSO and the sun was just coming up and the dawn chorus was just starting and it was so still along the seafront.

“There was no breeze or anything.

“It felt really surreal, it felt absolutely amazing.

“I think by that point,I’d clocked up about 42 miles and I actually said to her, ‘I think I’m going to go for 50 now!’”

Amanda’s fundraiser for children’s disability charity PACSO is still active. To donate, visit justgiving.com and search ‘Amanda Worne’.