Malton business owner Bethan Pritchard is embarking on the challenge of her life for charity.
Bethan runs the flourishing Bethan Sian beauty salon on Castlegate. Now she’s about to do a whole new sort of running.
She plans to take part in an astonishing 12 marathons in 12 months to raise money for two very good causes.
Bethan, 30, is supporting
- Tommy’s – a charity carrying out research into baby loss and the unexplored reasons behind it, and offering support to those who need it; and
- Ryedale Special Families – a charity which supports families who have children and young adults with disabilities, illness and additional needs.
Bethan, who also owns a beauty salon in Scarborough, will run her first marathon on 15 January in Skipton. Altogether she hopes to raise £8,000.
She is being sponsored by Sean and Sue Harrison, her good friends who run the flourishing Malton Enterprise Park in York Road.
Bethan said: “I have undertaken a number of challenges for charity before, but this is my biggest yet. I haven’t heard of anyone running a marathon a month consecutively for a year, so I think I’m breaking new ground, which is daunting but also exhilarating.”
- You can support Bethan by donating at her Just Giving page here
- Follow Bethan on Instagram here
- And on Facebook here
“I am going to be tested to my limit, both physically and mentally. I have put a strict regime into place, which will mean making sacrifices so that I can prepare my body.
“I’m not going into this lightly, and I want to raise as much money as possible to support others facing their own challenges. The difference is, I’ve chosen to take this challenge on – for many people, challenges don’t come by choice.”
In 2016 Bethan experienced a traumatic miscarriage and subsequently fell into a deep depression.
“At the time, I was young and couldn’t really understand what had happened — but I knew I felt pain, and a sense of failure. I didn’t take time to grieve, and I found the whole situation very hard to deal with,” she said.
“I have a number of friends and clients who have had miscarriages, so each of my first six marathons will be run in the memory of a little baby who has been lost. This will spur me on.”
Bethan’s challenge begins in Skipton in January and she will complete a full marathon, 26.2 miles, every month after that.
Some will be at famous locations, at organised events including the London Marathon, while others will be just her, her running shoes and the road ahead.
Sue Harrison explained; “We were more than happy to sponsor Bethan in her amazing charity challenge. Apart from the fact that she is a good friend, this is a cause very close to my heart.”
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