A GP ran almost 400 miles in six days, eight hours and 12 minutes in honour of her mum.
Elsey Davis took on the gruelling challenge after Ann, 64, was diagnosed with young-onset Alzheimer’s.
The 36-year-old smashed a 384.1 mile distance and became the first ever person to complete the loop, raising £25,000 for Alzheimer’s research and awareness in the process.
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After racing through the Alps this summer, it was Elsey’s toughest test yet and saw her run the length of Cornwall’s coastal path from Land’s End to the Devon border and back again.
“I would do anything for my mum,” Elsey, from Camelford, Cornwall, told What’s The Jam.
“Whenever things got really tough, I reminded myself that my pain was temporary but the difference I could make would last a lifetime.”
Elsey first turned to trail running during the pandemic while working on Covid wards.
She said: “Running on the trails became my therapy.
“Once I started competing, I never looked back.”
Elsey trained up to 100 miles a week for the challenge, which started on 29 September, but nothing could prepare her for the brutal conditions.
She said: “Day three was the hardest mentally.
“I felt overwhelmed knowing I still had 200 miles to go.
“By day five we were battling storms and 50mph headwinds.
“My feet were swollen, my knees were agony, but somehow I just kept moving.”
The most emotional moment came at the finish line on Monday (6 October), when Elsey crossed the finish line hand-in-hand with her mum, who was diagnosed in 2023.
She said: “Running the last few hundred metres with my mum was one of the most uplifting moments I have had in my life.
“She was not able to remember or understand what or why I was running such a long way but when she joined and everyone was cheering us in, I saw how full of joy and love she was and that there was some recognition that she was part of something really special that was all for her.
“That moment meant everything to me.”
Since completing the epic run, Elsey has been recovering with her wife and baby son, Victor, and reflecting on the experience.
She said: “I’ve realised how powerful love can be.
“If something excites and scares you – do it.
“If it’s driven by love, you have all the power in the world.”
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