Nadine Lyons had just completed her third ultra marathon when she spoke to The Local Answer.

The 47-year-old took part in the Ladybower Reservoir Ultra Marathon, a hugely challenging 52-kilometre event which takes place in the Peak District.

And she clocked the very respectable time of nine hours, 15 minutes, 37 seconds, even though she said she had hoped to go a bit faster.

The course included two steep elevations which were obviously very tough, and she admitted aftrewards: “My body isn’t too bad but it hurts when I stand up, my legs are aching. Going down stairs is a little painful.”

But the pain has certainly been worthwhile for Nadine who, as well as running, was raising money for a very good cause.

Nadine, who lives in Churchdown, works for Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and she was running to support the renal team, who diagnose and treat patients with diseases of the kidneys.

She wants to raise £1,000 and she said of her run: “The cut-off was 11 hours so I finished well inside that which was good. We started at 8am so I finished in daylight too.

“The weather was kind for the most part, but about two miles from the end we were hit by some freezing rain, it was a very cold wind.

“I was desperate to get to the finish line, those two miles seemed like forever!”

The former Brockworth School pupil knows what it takes to get over the line in an ultra marathon because it is the third she has completed in the past two years.

Her first was the Race to the Stones in Wiltshire, which was run over 100 kilometres, and she completed in 18-and-a-half hours.

She followed that by taking part in the Brecon to Cardiff Ultra Marathon, which she finished in 11 hours 57.

The ultra marathon requires a lot of hard work and dedication, of course, all the more so for Nadine as she only started running in 2016.

She readily admits she hated running when she was at school and although it’s a sport she loves today she says she’s not sure if she’ll do another ultra marathon.

“I’ve got nothing booked in for the rest of the year,” she said. “Once my legs feel better I will do a few local runs just to keep in the routine of running and maintain my motivation.

“But I think I’m going to focus on half-marathons and the shorter distances next year.

“Running ultra marathons is gruelling. The training is really hard and at my age the recovery isn’t quick.

“Mind you, I said after last year’s ultra that I wouldn’t do another one! I do like a challenge, so who knows?”

Nadine was introduced to the sport of running by her friend Claire Bryant who said she should come along and do a parkrun.

She was hooked straight away – “There were so many people having fun, it was a great atmosphere,” she said – and she was soon taking part in the Cheltenham Half Marathon, a run she completed in two hours, 26.

She’s run plenty of 10Ks since then and she’s also competed in the London Marathon.

That was back in 2018 when she finished in around six-and-a-half hours.

She’d been hoping to go around in five-and-a-half hours but said: “It was just after the Beast from the East, we’d been training in really cold conditions and then on the day it was really hot. It was the hottest London Marathon on record.”

Nadine’s two sons, Josh and Regan, have also started running and Nadine, who hasn’t joined a club, said: “Everybody can be a runner, it’s a sport for all shapes and sizes, it’s not just for elite runners.”

To support Nadine’s fundraising, visit Nadine Lyons is fundraising for Cheltenham and Gloucester Hospitals Charity (justgiving.com)