A RYEDALE woman, who confesses to not being a natural runner, has taken on a tough running challenge to raise money for charity.

Vicky Godliman, 42, of Flaxton, has set herself the task of running a total of ten 10K races throughout August and is already over half-way through. Putting some added pressure on to the already testing challenge, Vicky has also set herself a goal of running all ten races in under ten hours.

With the help of Paul Piercy, of The Body and Soul gym in Malton and some physio sessions with Ian Mulrooney of Smart Way 2 Fitness, Vicky is already 51 minutes ahead of completing the races in less than 10 hours and has just four races to go.

She said: "I wanted to do something for charity that people haven't really done before and I came up with this.

“I didn't really know what to expect when I started running but with the help of Paul, who got me back in to running, and some physio sessions to help keep my legs moving, it has been going really well."

Vicky has also managed to smash her fundraising target of £1,000 for the British Heart Foundation (BHF), a cause close to her heart after her brother Matthew died at the age of 17 from a condition known as aortic stenosis, a narrowing of the aortic heart valve which restricts blood flow through the valve.

Vicky said that a close friend has also been receiving treatment for a heart condition and has received fantastic support from the BHF, which funds thousands of research studies in to heart disease across the UK.

She said: "I am just an ordinary person, not an athlete by any stretch. I'm just trying to give something back to a worthwhile charity."

So far Vicky has completed the York 10K, which she says has been her favourite, as well as races in Preston, Linton, Darlington and Gateshead. It was at Gateshead where she ran her fastest time yet, running the 6.2 miles in 47 minutes and 53 seconds.

Vicky's final race will be on Sunday, August 31 in Wetherby. To sponsor Vicky visit www.justgiving.com/Victoria-Godliman