A STUDENT has raised £8,000 for charity after completing a gruelling 12-hour triathlon.

Imogen Boddy, 17, completed the Windermere Challenge last month, to raise funds for Cancer Research and for Re-Start Africa, an orphanage in Kenya.

Imogen, from Whitwell-on-the-Hill, swam 10km in Windermere in 3 hours 50, ran 26.8 miles in just over four hours and cycled from Windermere to Sedbergh, where she is at school, in just over two hours.

She said: “What a day. It was incredible and all my hard training this year paid off.

“With fantastic support from teachers, friends and family, I conquered my challenge in fairly filthy weather.

“Coming over the finishing line with cheers and crowds was incredible and a real thrill to have finally finished and to have raised £8,000 for two hugely important charities, both close to my heart. My swim started at 5am in Windermere, in very choppy conditions. The water was warm, but I still came out numb. With a massive support team at the end, the feeling of finishing the swim was incredible and I knew I had the worst part over and done with.

“We refuelled at The Swan Hotel at Newby Bridge, at the southern tip of Windermere, and then I started the run, heading anti-clockwise around the lake.

“The run was much more enjoyable and it had stopped raining, though there was a 1,900ft climb in total and the distance was 26.8 miles with a moving time of 4.07 hours.

“My knee gave me some trouble at mile 14, but running through the pain was the only option.

“The cycle home saw me accompanied by my dad, two teachers and my uncle, and we arrived back in Sedbergh at 5.30pm to the biggest cheers and support I could have imagined.

“It really was the best feeling I have ever had. I would like to thank everyone for supporting me and for the donations.”

Imogen boards full time at Sedbergh School in Cumbria and has been voted Sportswoman of the Year for two consecutive years.