An inspiring woman from Huntingdon has crossed the finish line of her 100th marathon raising thousands of pounds in memory of her best friend.
Kerry Surkitt, 49, was inspired to start running to honour her friend Beverley Winfield, who was cared for at St John’s Hospice, in Moggerhanger, near St Neots, in 2008.
Sales adviser Kerry first did a 10k in 2013 to mark the fifth anniversary of Bev’s death. She then ran her first marathon in 2016. She soon caught the running bug and went on to do one more marathon that year, followed by five the next.
Kerry then set herself a challenge to run 50 marathons before her 50th birthday in Bev’s memory, raising vital funds for Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice in the process.
She picked up the pace and completed the challenge in 2020 with three years still to go.
Instead of putting up her feet for a well-deserved rest, Kerry then embarked on a new challenge to do 100 marathons by the time she turned 50.
During 2021 alone, the super-fit fundraiser made strides at 40 marathons.
To date, she has completed marathons all over the UK, including in Brighton, Manchester, Windermere and Snowdonia. She has also run a marathon in Murcia, Spain.
This has included 14 ultra-marathons, which are longer than the traditional marathon distance of 26.2 miles, as well as two gruelling 100k runs (62 miles).
Kerry recently crossed the finish line of her 100th marathon at Hinchingbrooke Park, Huntingdon. She was cheered on by proud friends and family, who held up giant number ‘100’ balloons. To date, she has raised £2,757 for Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice.
Kerry said: “It feels amazing to have done this in Bev’s memory. Lots of friends came to cheer me on at my 100th marathon – it was really lovely and quite overwhelming.
"The best thing about running all of these marathons is the people I have met along the way and the new friends I have made. It’s been a privilege to find out about their personal journeys – many others have similarly been running in memory of loved ones. Lots of people have inspired me – and I hope I’ve been able to inspire them in return.
Kerry is not stopping though – her next target is to do 52 marathons in 52 weeks – which she is aiming to complete by the beginning of April 2022.
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