Skip to content

Woman runs ultramarathon with dog for charity

Chris Craddock
BBC Jersey communities reporter
BBC Natalie smiles at the camera as she holds Fleur in her arms. Fleur is a springer spaniel with brown and white fur. They are in a car park next to a banner with Mind Jersey's logo. Natalie has curly brown hair tied into a pony tail.BBC
Natalie Hodge and her dog Fleur ran around part of Jersey's coast

A Jersey woman has run an ultramarathon with her dog accompanying her for most of the journey to raise money for a mental health charity.

Natalie Hodge ran 30 miles (48.3km) around the coast of the island with her dog Fleur.

The springer spaniel ran a marathon distance of 26.2m (42.2km) while Ms Hodge ran the rest without Fleur.

They have raised more than £1,750 for Jersey Mind, which Ms Hodge said was an important cause to her after losing people close to her due to mental health problems.

Allow Instagram content?

This article contains content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read  and  before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

Ms Hodge said she had been training with Fleur for months to make sure she they were both fit enough for the challenge.

She said "it was quite a sight to see" as friends and family cheered her on at the finish and "Fleur has helped me through a lot" since they started running together.

Ms Hodge added: "There are people out there who are struggling quite a lot and Mind Jersey is a charity that people can go to for free and they support a lot of people."

Louise is smiling at the camera as she couches over her dog Dylan and holds him in place. She has a light blue running hydration vest on and running shorts. Louise has short blonde hair. Dylan is a black dog with long ears.
Louise Falle and her dog Dylan joined Natalie on the run for morale support

Louise Falle and her dog Dylan joined Ms Hodge and Fleur on the run to offer moral support.

Ms Falle said: "I knew it was a very important cause for her and I wanted to support her... It was beautiful weather for a perfect day.

"Natalie was really good at controlling Fleur and making sure that she didn't do too much or she would have overheated and exerted herself too much."

Ms Falle ran the whole distance with Ms Hodge and Dylan joined for the final 13 miles (20.9km).

Francesca smiles at the camera with a bay in the background. She is wearing a white t-shirt with a light grey zip-up fleece on top. She has multicoloured hooped earrings and sunglasses on her head. She has long light brown hair which comes past her shoulders.
Francesca Monticelli was one of Natalie's friends who celebrated her success at the end of the run in Beauport

Francesca Monticelli was at the end of the run in Beauport to celebrate Ms Hodge and Fleur's success.

She said "they have been absolutely phenomenal" and she was "so incredibly proud" as they crossed the finish line in Beauport.

Ms Monticelli added: "Natalie is an amazing friend but also an amazing runner as well, so I just wanted to support her and the charity as well."

Owner runs ultramarathon with dog for charity

Shauna Walsh, a vet nurse from the UK charity the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA), said running with a dog could be good, but some things had to be taken into consideration.

She said: "Running can be great way to create a special bond with your dog, as long as they are introduced and built up to any long distances slowly."

She added that people should "keep an eye on the weather" and "pack water and snacks for your dog".

The charity also said breeds such as spaniels had typically high energy levels but not all dogs may be suitable for such exercise.

Follow BBC Jersey on X and Facebook. Send your story ideas to [email protected].

More on this story
Related internet links