AFTER months of training and preparation, a plucky mum is getting ready to jet off for an epic cycling challenge.
Janet Eccles, from Kirkby la Thorpe, is flying out to Kenya on Saturday to take on a five-day, 400km cycle challenge from the slopes of Mount Kenya to the shores of Lake Victoria, all to raise money for Women vs Cancer.
She will be raising money for three women’s cancer charities; Breast Cancer Care, Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust and Ovarian Cancer Action.
Janet, 49, has raised nearly £3,000, beating her target of £2,800.
She said: “I am immensely proud to be a part of such a wonderful event.”
Janet has been training hard for this challenge since spring last year and has been clocking up 50-mile bike rides and four to five hour cycling sessions in recent weeks.
However, she does admit to having some concerns as to how well her troublesome knee will hold out.
She said: “As reality dawns on me, I am once again growing fearful of the enormity of what lies ahead and hoping my arthritic knee holds up until I’m back.
“I am having surgery on the knee when I get back.”
During the challenge Janet will be cycling in temperatures of over 25 degrees, and one of the five days of cycling involves constant climbing.
While in Kenya, the participants will have the chance to visit a local school and a hospital for women affected by cancer. They will be taking pens and crayons to give to the children and clothes and toiletries for the women at the hospital.
Janet said that her inspiration to do the challenge came when she lost a close friend to breast cancer at the age of 42 in 2007.
She added that when she signed up for the challenge she was the same age as her mother was when she died - 48 - which made her feel emotional about how frail life can be. This was another major motivation for her to do something big before she got ‘too old’.
When she has completed her challenge, Janet’s family will fly out to Kenya to join her for a well earned break, before returning to the UK on March 4.
To sponsor Janet on her challenge, visit her JustGiving page at http://www.justgiving.com/janet-eccles
Source: Sleaford Standard
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