Romie Cole (10), who won the Year 5 Schools Cross-Country Championships in February 2020, set herself a target of running 50 miles this month to raise money for two charities, after visiting a festively decorated house in December which had similar motivations.
The La Moye School pupil had hoped to raise £200 for Jersey Hospice Care, who recently supported one of her grandmothers, and Parkinsons UK, but that total was surpassed within 48 hours and has since grown to over £800.
The 50-mile goal has also been achieved before her 31 January deadline – but she is not done yet. Cole’s UK-based grandmother, a Parkinson’s sufferer for 40 years, passed away last weekend and the junior is now wanting to reach 60 miles – and the £1,000-mark – in her honour.
‘On Christmas Eve I went to see Christmas lights and there were amazing lights on some houses,’ Cole explained. ‘One of them was raising money for cancer, so I asked my mum if I could raise money by doing something to do with my running and she came up with the idea to run 50 miles.
‘The first week was okay because it was the holidays but when I started school again it got harder. Sometimes I come back from school and do it when it is dark and rainy. Sometimes you don’t feel like doing it but you feel good once you’ve done it.’
Donations in support of Romie Cole’s challenge, raising funds for Jersey Hospice Care and Parkinson’s UK, can be made via: www.sponsorme.co.uk/jacquettacole/romies-jog-through-january.
