Faye keeps on running for marathon challenge

A nurse who took up running after being diagnosed with asthma has now completed more than 50 marathons – and is on track to finish 100 half marathons by the end of this year.

Faye Thornton, dental nurse manager in the maxillofacial unit at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, crossed her 50th marathon finish line in London in April, and has completed another 26.2-mile course since.

She has also collected finishers’ medals in 93 half marathons, with her ambition to reach her century before the end of the season.

But the 54 year old, who lives in Hythe, has no intention of hanging up her running shoes, and hopes to tackle a 50-mile course, as well as compete in international races.

She said: “I’m absolutely hooked. I’ve always enjoyed exercise but I only started running more seriously after I was diagnosed with adult-onset asthma, as a way to improve my lung capacity.

“I applied for a charity place for the London marathon as my first race, raising money for Asthma UK as a way of saying thank you for the support they gave me.

“It was a really good experience, so I started entering more, and about four years ago I decided to see if I could complete 50 full marathons.”

Faye, who is a member of virtual running club Lonely Goat, usually takes part in two running events a month, but this weekend completed two half marathons to take her tally to 93.

Experts usually advise people that it takes up to four weeks to recover fully from a marathon, but Faye is ready to hit the road again after a week.

She said: “Because of the distances I run at the weekends with the events I don’t need to train much during the week, and my body has got used to the marathons.

“You do often pick up injuries, or have some runs where you know you aren’t feeling your best so you take it a bit slower.

“I plan to keep going as long as my body lets me, and I’ve got a 50km run coming up which is about 31 miles. I’d like to be able to complete a 50-mile event as well.” 

Faye has also raised thousands of pounds for charity with her runs, including around £2,000 for Asthma UK from her first run. Her most recent London Marathon was for the RNLI, and you can add to her sponsorship here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/faye-thornton-1713129869479