Hampshire Policewoman Running Around World

Each year, thousands of people around the UK put on their running shoes and do their bit for charity, taking part in fun runs, marathons, triathlons and more. But Romsey police officer, PC Holly Keyser, is taking the idea of running for charity to the next level.

Raising money for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, Holly has decided to run 351 miles around the globe, visiting a total of 26 different countries.

The idea is to do an ever increasing run, so one mile in her first country, two in the second, three in the third and eventually finishing with running 26 miles back in the UK for the London Marathon.

Holly expects the challenge could take up to two years to complete and so has taken a career break from her work as a police officer.

Having already completed her first run (one mile) at Stonehenge in November, Holly left for Singapore on Sunday, December 5 where she will run two miles before travelling onto Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand. She will then return to the UK in mid January before heading off again in May to her next 25 chosen countries.

Holly has been planning each run according to the weather, terrain, altitude and temperature in order to make sure the challenge stays safe.

Holly says: “I can’t pick my twenty first run in a country like Bolivia as it has a high altitude and running 21 miles would probably kill me! Logistically plotting my route will be tricky as I will have to be following the weather around the globes, as well as the altitudes. I have never attempted to run a marathon and I know that it will be a test of self belief, inner strength and body ability.  Limits of which I have never attempted to reach before.”

Holly says she will be on her own for most of the challenge but would love to find people to run with her:

“What would make my dreams come true would be if total strangers found out about my challenge and ran with me in various corners of the world to show their support and strength.”

She will be taking a video camera with her to document her adventure and will be updating her website with photos, videos and blogs as often as she can. If you would like to follow Holly’s journey, visit www.runfortheirlife.co.uk

As well as fund raising, Holly is hoping to raise awareness about Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance and the valuable service they provide in the two counties:

“Being a police officer for nine years, there have been many occasions when Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance have attended incidents I have been involved with. It’s affiliated with the 999 emergency services and as such there is an expectation that if it is required, it will attend. However, what a lot of people don’t realise is that they are funded solely on charitable donations alone and nothing more.

“We are so fortunate to have such a resource but as it costs in excess of £110,000 per month just to keep it airborne, it is so important to increase awareness and urge as many people as possible to donate to this worthy cause.”

Anyone who would like to make a donation or sponsor Holly can do so on her Just Giving page at:

www.justgiving.com/Holly-Keyser