Lorna Winter is gearing up to take on the challenge of a lifetime – a marathon through a game reserve in South Africa, all in aid of Canine Partners.

Lorna found out about us through her role at Purina, one of our amazing corporate supporters. She has been working at Purina for 12 years. On choosing Canine Partners to raise money for, she said:

“I often get to see the great work that Canine Partners do, and understand the challenges the charity has in getting and training all of the dogs needed to help people with disabilities.

“I have seen first-hand many times through our work conferences the way in which the dogs the charity trains can truly transform people’s lives.

“Giving people the independence that one of these dogs brings is just critical to them and their overall well-being. The dogs are not just assistance dogs to their partners, but they become best friends and  soul mates to these individuals.”

After seeing an article in a running magazine around eight years ago on the top 10 marathons in the world, Lorna knew she wanted to try a Safari marathon to raise vital funds.

“I have always wanted to go to South Africa and do a Safari as I have a huge passion for animals… I have wanted to do it for years but financially it’s a big commitment – not to mention the training – so I wasn’t really able to do it until now.”

This marathon will be her fifth, and fitting the training into her busy life has proved quite a challenge.

“I joined my local running group a few years ago when I moved to the area, and we always run off road, around the countryside with our dogs which I really do love.

“This year we had a few runners doing marathons in April, so I tagged along for all the runs except for the really long ones as I didn’t want to get injured or ‘peak’ too early for my marathon!

“Overall, I am quite enjoying the whole experience although the last 2 weeks of long runs have been quite hard, as I’ve also been getting all my vaccinations done and they are having a bit of an impact on my body that I wasn’t quite expecting!”

The warmer climates lately have been a benefit to Lorna’s training, as temperatures in South Africa during her marathon could reach up to 25 degrees.

So how is she feeling about the challenge?

“I am actually really, really looking forward to running this one! I am slightly nervous too as the terrain is very different to any marathon I have done before as there will be hills – including a pretty huge one actually – so am slightly nervous it will be too hard for me. I am hoping that seeing some of the most beautiful and wonderful animals in the park will really spur me on though.”

Lorna’s fundraising target is £1,000 although she hopes to raise even more to transform lives. Her previous efforts for Canine Partners have raised over £2,000 which included the 2011 Paris Marathon.

You can donate to Lorna’s JustGiving page here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/LornaWinterBig5.

Want to take on a fundraising challenge for Canine Partners?

Visit our Fundraising section for plenty of inspiration and ideas on how to help us transform the lives of people with disabilities.