Sawston girl runs marathon distance for cancer charities

A 10-year-old girl has run a marathon during her half-term break from school after learning two family friends had been diagnosed with cancer.

Phoenix Zamikula, from Sawston in Cambridgeshire, raised more than £2,000 for the Teenage Cancer Trust and The Brain Tumour Charity.

She completed the 26.2 mile (42.1km) distance in eight outings over a week.

Phoenix said when she finished the challenge "loads of people came and cheered".

The schoolgirl decided to run the marathon distance after learning about the "terrifying and devastating" news that two of the children of her mum's friends had cancer.

She was also moved by the death of Azaliya Diamond Cain at just eight months old.

The daughter of former footballer and reality TV star Ashley Cain and his partner Safiyya Vorajee had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukaemia.

Phoenix said: "I wanted to do something to help as I burst in to tears when I heard about it."

She took on the challenge between 28 May and 4 June.

After running four-and-a-half miles (7.2km) on each of her first two runs her legs were "aching really badly," she said, but accompanied by her mum, Carley Peck, she said she refused to give in.

She said when she completed the distance "loads of people came and cheered, and had champagne and I got a medal."

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]