A mum-of-three from Huntingdon ran a marathon in lockdown to raise more than £3,000 for charity after her daughter was diagnosed with a rare condition.
Annoushka Lingham, 38, was set to take on the Milton Keynes Marathon in May alongside her friend Marianne Taylforth.
The pair wanted to raise money for PMSF UK which support people with Phelan-McDermid Syndrome.
Annoushka’s six-year-old daughter, Frankie, was diagnosed with the rare genetic condition, which can see speech and developmental delays, just before her first birthday.
When lockdown was announced in March, Annoushka and Marianne decided to take on their marathon challenge virtually – by running together but apart.
“We had done a lot of training for it, so we decided we still wanted to run it but locally,” Annoushka explained.
“We put in our headphones and ran the same day on different routes.
“We finished at around the same time, so be able to support each other together but apart was really special.
“I got to run past my mum and dad too, which was lovely.”
Even Annoushka’s husband Andy decided to spur her on by cycling the route at her side.
Marianne’s twin sister, Bec Richardson, also joined in for part of the marathon.
“Our aim was to raise around £2,000 so to get so much more has been amazing – and we’ll still get a t-shirt and medal to say we completed it,” Annoushka said.
Speaking more about Frankie’s condition, Annoushka, explained how she noticed changes shortly after she was born.
She continued: “We noticed that she was not developing as well as other children, so when we found out that she had Phelan-McDermid Syndrome we were told it was really rare.
“There are only around 350 children in the UK who have it.
“We never thought she would be able to walk – but she does, and she has come on amazing physically in the last couple of years.
“Now she is learning to jump as that’s her goal.
“It is still challenging, but she is a very happy child who likes to spend time with her sisters.”
To donate to the cause visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/annoushka-lingham
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