Cockfield mum completes mountain marathon for Cancer Research UK

Kirsty Brien and colleague Matthew Williams

A COCKFIELD mum has raised hundreds of pounds for charity after completing her first marathon.
After six months of training in Teesdale, Kirsty Brien, 41, swapped the dale roads for the gruelling yet spectacular course of the 34th Snowdonia marathon on Saturday, October 29.
Having covered the 26.2 miles, which included 838 metres of climb, which circled Snowdon, the highest peak in Wales and England, the mother-of-two crossed the finish line in five hours and eight minutes.
Through sponsorship, Ms Brien raised £800 for Cancer Research UK, a charity close to her heart.
She said: “My mum, Jen, died from breast cancer when she was 32 and I was very young.
“My step mum, Susan, has also fought cancer. Now two very good friends who have been fit and healthy runners are both battling cancer too.”
She added: “Sadly, you can’t put having cancer down to lifestyle choices.
“I had to do something to help and I thought if I was going to go big I had to do the hardest marathon in the UK.”
No stranger to climbing hills, the experienced mountaineer began training for the marathon earlier this year and joined Evenwood Road Runners to help improve her pace.
Since then she has had to juggle being a mum, running her Cockfield-based company Mountain Explorers, being a teacher at Askham Bryan College, in York, and finding the time to train.
She said: “I have done trail races and 10K races in the past but not a marathon.
“I have taken every opportunity I could in the last six months to put the miles in across Teesdale.
“The marathon was tough. It is an incredible distance to keep going for five hours.
“The support and the vibe on the day was top notch and kept me going. Every village had children handing out jelly babies and drinks.”
Although Ms Brien will now be putting her feet up until she sets her sight on her next big race, she hopes the money she raised will help Cancer Research UK continue with their invaluable work.
She said: “I am chuffed to bits with how much I have raised. It is really nice to see how many people get behind you. Whether we like it or not, cancer is something that is not distant from any of us. There is no-one we know who can say they have not been touched by cancer in some way. This £800 could be enough to help improve someone’s life.”