Debbs Hay is a teacher hoping to inspire her pupils and raise as much money as possible for charity.

She has never run more than a parkrun but that hasn’t stopped her entering this year’s London Marathon.

That’s some challenge particularly when you consider a park run is just over three miles – and she’s only run two of them!

She’ll have to run well over eight times that distance if she’s to complete her marathon challenge on Sunday 28th April and although it appears a very big ask – “It’s ridiculous,” she laughed – there is every reason to think that she will not be defeated by the 26.2 miles.

You see, Debbs is a PE teacher at Ribston Hall High School in Gloucester and has always been sporty.

“I used to play netball for Challengers,” said the 36-year-old mum of-two. “I love netball and I love skiing – I love most sports but running is completely outside of my comfort zone.”

The fact that she does other sports is a big help, of course, and so is the fact that she will be joined in the capital by her husband Alex who will be running the London Marathon for the second time.

He first ran it in 2002 while at university and will openly admit that his lifestyle at the time did not help but despite minimal training, he made it round.

Alex, 38, is a very good hockey player who was captain of Cheltenham for a good number of years.

A forward, he plays these days for Cheltenham Wednesday’s but is still good enough to have been chosen by England to play in the Masters World Cup in Barcelona last year and in the European Championships in Rotterdam in July this year.

“He’s the talented one,” said Debbs with a chuckle.

They plan to run together – “I’ve told him if he leaves me there will be trouble,” she laughed – and Debbs insists it’s all about raising money for charity and getting round on the big day.

Ask her what her times were in her two parkruns and she’ll reply “awful”, so what’s her target in London?

“I just want to finish, anything around five hours would be nice,” she said, before adding, “maybe that’s being a bit optimistic, put five-and-a-half hours!

“I’d like to run all the way, but who knows?”

Debbs has been given a charity place in the great race – she is raising money for Make A Wish – and by the time she lines up on the starting line she will have been training hard for 14 weeks.

And it’s obviously been going well because she plans to run the Cheltenham Half Marathon on Sunday 29th September.

That’s a long way off, of course. For now her big focus is the London Marathon.

And as well as completing the course and raising money for a good cause, Debbs, who lives in Cheltenham, admits to another motivation.

“As a PE teacher you’ve got to challenge yourself,” she said. “You need a good story to tell in lessons, you can’t just talk about your husband!”

Anyone who wants to support Debbs and Alex Hay should visit
https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-display/showROFundraiserPage?userUrl=debbie-hay-SAVMLMBONDS3332019-160377&pageUrl=2