Ruth, 104, aims to walk marathon for charity, inspired by Capt Tom
A 104- YEAR- OLD woman is looking to give veteran fundraiser Captain Sir Tom Moore a run for his money by walking a marathon for charity.
Ruth Saunders, from Newbury, Reading, originally set out to walk 104 laps of her block to match her age, a distance of about 21 miles, but decided to extend her goal to a full marathon ( 26.2 miles) after encouragement from her family.
Her granddaughter Kate Saunders, 50, said her grandmother had complained of being “really bored” during lockdown and asked if she could walk around the block.
“She really enjoyed it and thought ‘ well why don’t I raise some money doing it?” she said.
Ruth’s initial fundraising target was £ 500, but her JustGiving page reached more than £ 8,000 by Tuesday.
She is walking for Thames Valley Air Ambulance, having
previously held coffee morning fundraisers that have had to be stopped due to the pandemic.
Ruth previously told the BBC that she was inspired by Yorkshireborn Sir Tom, the 100- yearold veteran who raised millions for the NHS during lockdown, but said that she was older than he was, and had walked further.
“She’s four years older than him and four years at 100 is a lot,”
Ms Saunders said. “She is very competitive and very active – that’s what keeps her going.
“She drove until she was over 100 and she won’t let anything stop her.
“If someone says ‘ you can’t do that,’ she’ll say ‘ why can’t I? Of course I can’.
“You don’t ever say no to her and you wouldn’t ever tell her to stop.”
Ms Saunders added that she saw her grandmother almost every day, as part of her bubble, and that the family had been very careful when helping Ruth with her challenge because of coronavirus.
She said that she was encouraging people, including her two daughters Gemma, 16, and Hannah, 14, to do socially distanced laps with Ruth to keep her going.
“It’s just a bit of fun, and she’s absolutely loving it,” she said. “My girls are going to do a lap with her, it’ll be a memento for them.”