- Lewis Adams & Lauren Carter
- BBC News, Essex
A woman with cystic fibrosis is racing to set a new world record by running 36 marathons in 36 days.
Sophie Holmes, from Southend-on-Sea, was told she would not live past the age of 16 due to cystic fibrosis (CF).
But her prognosis has motivated her to achieve even more in life, and now she hopes to enter the record books by running the most consecutive marathons ever completed by a woman with CF .
“I only run once a day, but how hard can it be?” said Holmes, 32.
Her 943-mile challenge begins with the London Marathon on Sunday and concludes with a finish at the Edinburgh Marathon on May 26th.
Guinness World Records had told her that she would set a record if she completed all 36 marathons.
“I will raise my children until I die.”
Holmes was encouraged to take up running by her father, Peter, who believed it could improve her health prospects.
“When I was born, I was told I wouldn't make it until I was 16, which is incredibly young and I think my parents felt like they were raising a child to die,” she said.
Despite her condition, Runner said her family is determined to allow her to live a normal life.
She added: “My standard at school was, 'You can beat everyone else in PE, but what do doctors know?'”
Holmes has previously climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and Mont Blanc and completed an Ultra Ironman around Lake Como in Italy.
“I have turned CF into something that no longer defines me, but rather as a driving force to seize the future even when the odds are stacked against me,” she added.
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