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Chelmsford woman completes 100th ultra-marathon

Tom Williams/BBC Apryl HammettTom Williams/BBC
Apryl Hammett was thrilled with her latest medal, having completed her 100th ultra-marathon with a run of 50km (31miles)

A woman has completed her 100th ultra-marathon to raise money for the charity that supported her husband when he was diagnosed with throat cancer last year.

Apryl Hammett, 50, from Chelmsford, raised almost £4,000 in her latest 50km-run in Essex on Sunday.

She said she started running when she gained weight after giving birth.

"It's all about determination... and I do love a medal," said Ms Hammett, who is raising funds for MacMillan.

Sunday's race at Flitch Way Country Park near Great Dunmow was "a really straightforward 50k today", thanks to the "kind weather".

Ms Hammett has undertaken far longer runs, including the 145-mile (233km) Grand Union Canal race.

But she calls the 50km distance her "happy run".

Ultra-marathons are "considered anything over 27.2 miles (44km)... but there's no upper limit", the school librarian said

"After the birth of my last child I put on a significant amount of weight so something had to be done because my health was going to go down," she said.

"It was either a choice of a diet - and I really love my food, so that wasn't going to happen - or it was take on some exercise, so I did my first marathon back in 2002.

"I love being outdoors and you always see so much.

"While physically you have to be completely prepared, it's also mentally," she said.

Pointing to her head, Mrs Hammett said: "If this goes, I always say the legs will go as well.

"It's all about the determination of getting to the finish line - and I do love a medal."

Tom WIlliams/BBC Apryl Hammett running on a dirt track in a parkTom WIlliams/BBC
Ms Hammett completed her first marathon in 2002 and has gone on to complete 100 ultramarathons

Her husband Guy, whose cancer was successfully treated just before Christmas, described his wife's 100th ultra-marathon as "a fantastic feat".

She was, he said, "extremely good at it", adding it was "irritating that she doesn't train - she just runs".

Luke Ingham, Macmillan's fundraising co-ordinator for the East of England, said: "One hundred ultra marathons is an astonishing achievement and we're so grateful to Apryl for fundraising for Macmillan with her latest challenge."

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