A PENARTH nurse went through one of the toughest pain barriers imaginable, running the London Marathon, all in aid of the hospice where she works.

Fiona Bourge said she was in pain, but chuffed to bits when she completed the London Marathon, all in aid of Marie Curie Hospice in Penarth.

Ms Bourge, 35, ran her first - and, she insisted, last - marathon in five hours, 53 minutes.

But more impressive than that was the money Ms Bourge raised, smashing her £2,000 target, raising £3,500 so far.

‘It was my Everest, but I got there’

Ms Bourge said she took this challenge very seriously, running more than 450 miles in preparation for the day on Sunday.

Despite all this training, she still had what she described as Everest to climb, particularly at 24 miles, just two miles short of the famous finish line on the Mall.

“Twenty-one miles was my Everest,” explained Ms Bourge. “You are so close, but you still feel so far, then you see Buckingham Palace and go up the mall to the finish line – it was just amazing.”

Penarth Times:

Ms Bourge described going through the pain barrier, particularly at 12 miles

‘Thrilled to bits’

Ms Bourge said she’d done a couple of Cardiff half marathons, but the marathon was a different thing altogether, and she was just delighted to finish it.

“I did not stop or walk, I ran the whole way,” said Ms Bourge. “Just to complete it I was thrilled to bits.

“It’s probably the biggest achievement in my whole life.”

Marie Curie head of fundraising Sara Bass, said of Ms Bourge’s effort: “We are so grateful to Fiona for her dedication in training and running the marathon, and her incredible efforts in fundraising and raising awareness of Marie Curie’s work. 

“Our Wales London Marathon runners have so far raised more than £20,000 and that total is still increasing, which is an astounding effort from them all.”     

Penarth Times:

Ms Bourge said she couldn't have done it without the support of her work colleagues

£8,000 a day to run the hospice

Ms Bourge explained it takes an incredible £8,000 a day to run the Penarth hospice and the money she raised will go towards that.

She went on to thank her friends, family and team for their valuable support.

“I could not do my job without my wonderful team,” said Ms Bourges. “I love looking after our patients in the most beautiful setting and to run for the hospice made the marathon that little bit easier.

“It costs £8,000 a day to run the hospice. Just knowing that money can go towards helping that is good.”

If you want to donate to Ms Bourge’s cause raising money for Marie Curies’ Cardiff and Vale hospice, go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/fiona-bourge?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=fiona-bourge&utm_campaign=pfp-instagram&utm_term=d8321704b42346699531c28131a62b46&fbclid=PAAaZJtbVyfiRdkLvJa14AP2Coj1ZWiQLArHLYwSOTGgHqI7huoOumZjtSZCk