Wigan mum Cat joins the 100 club!

Cat DAscendis said “never again” after finishing the Shakespeare marathon in Stratford-upon-Avon in April 2009, but did get back to the start line.

And 12 years later, she has now completed her 100th 26.2-mile run, with the final five done in just four days.

Along the way she covered thousands of miles, raised hundreds of pounds for charity and even set world records.

Cat, who lives in Hindley Green, said: “It wasn’t really on the agenda to run 100 marathons until I realised exactly how many I had done. Once I realised I was over 50, I thought I might as well carry on.”

The mum-of-two first toed the marathon start line to raise money for a good cause.

She said: “I decided to do it for charity for a friend of mine, whose niece had cancer. I ended up in the back of an ambulance at the end and I said ‘never again’. It was a really hot day and my blood sugar was really low and I had a funny turn at the finishing line.

“The next one wasn’t until 2012.”

Cat’s marathons have taken her to all kinds of places and she particularly enjoyed doing multi-day events, such as running seven marathons in seven days and Hell on a Hill, where runners do five marathons in five days at Rivington.

She is particularly proud of her fastest time, which was three hours 22 minutes, achieved in Milton Keynes.

She set a world record for the fastest female runner dressed as a gingerbread man at the London marathon in 2017, before earning the half-marathon world record for the same achievement a few months later.

Cat has raised money for several charities over the years, including Mind, Burning Nights and NHS Charities Together.

Despite completing 100 marathons, Cat says she did not hate any of them, though some were tough mentally, particularly those in the winter.

She said “I must love marathons. For me, it’s the challenge of what I can push my body to do, whether it’s time or distance or terrain. There’s just something in me that wants to push that bit further all the time. Because I do a lot for charity, that spurs me on too. I feel very grateful to be able to do what I do.”

Cat, 39, decided to try to complete her 100th marathon this year and has certainly been collecting the race medals.

She travelled to Essex to run the final five marathons, joining a man who was aiming to run 10 marathons in 10 days. She said “I have ramped it up this year and done 27 marathons. I was on 95 and decided to do five marathons in four days to get to my 100th. I did 96 and 97 on consecutive days and then did 98 and 99 on the same day. I did 100 on the final day.”

It was certainly a challenge for both her mind and body, as she covered mile after mile, ploughed through mud and dealt with painful blisters.

But Cat was delighted to finally cross the finishing line and secure her place in the 100 Marathon Club, which is reserved for those dedicated runners who have completed the distance. She said: “It was a bit surreal. It has been a long time coming. Covid set me back quite a bit and I was determined to do it by my 40th birthday, which isn’t until next year. I have said I’m retiring now, but no-one believes me.” Whatever she does, Cat is sure to continue running and she urged other people to consider following in her footsteps.

She said: “It’s a challenge, but it is an accomplishment. No matter how many you do or how few you do, even if you just run 5k, it’s an accomplishment. It’s a fantastic way to keep fit and it’s good for your mental health. It doesn’t have to be a marathon, just get out and do it.”

As well as reaching her 100 marathon target, Cat ran her final five races to help raise money for a cancer patient seeking treatment not available on the NHS. Donations can be made at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/lorraine-wilby-138Thanks for reading. If you value what we do and are able to support us, a digital subscription is just £1 for your first month. Try us today by clicking here and viewing our offers.