A Levens dog lover is taking on a 1,000-mile run described as ‘the holy grail of UK adventures’ in a bid to raise more than £10,000 for Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, which has a centre in Penrith.
Annie Rawlinson, who celebrated her 60th birthday in March, chose the epic adventure to celebrate her milestone birthday. She has tackled challenges before to raise money for the charity’s rescue dogs, including the London Marathon, but the Rat Race Adventures Run Britannia, which gets underway on 1 June, is her toughest yet.
With just days to go, Annie is hoping the many months of training will pay off as she begins the gruelling ‘LEJOG’ run which will see her start at Lands End and finish on 5th July at John O’Groats.
Annie says: “About three years ago, I was looking for a suitable challenge I could train for to mark my 60th year and read about this. Now, here we are! Its’s going to be an incredible adventure, but I can’t really imagine what it’s going to take to complete it as I’ve never done anything like it before.
“Unlike the marathon, it is mainly off-road and takes in a climb overall of 70,000 plus feet. The route is along some of the most beautiful trails in the UK, but I’m not sure I’ll have the time or energy to appreciate them!
“As a diversion during training I’ve been counting the number of dogs I meet or spot and so far that’s an incredible 1,909! I’ll be keeping up my canine count during the run too which will definitely spur me on!”
The race is 1,000 miles over five weeks, across hill, mountain, moor and valley. The entire distance is rarely attempted on foot in one continuous race and other than four rest days, Annie will be constantly on the go. The route includes major sections of the South West Coast Path, Offa’s Dyke crossing into Wales and, in Scotland, all 95 miles of the West Highland Way.
Annie says: “It is going to take everything I have physically and mentally to complete it, but it will be worth it as I know I’m helping rescue dogs.
“Dogs Trust cares for around 14,000 dogs every year and they make sure they have everything they need, whether that’s veterinary treatment, additional training or just lots of toys and one-on-one time with their carers.
“They never put a healthy dog to sleep so even if it takes years for a dog to find their forever home, they will be loved and looked after by Dogs Trust until that day comes. I know every penny I raise will be put to good use so I’m raring to go!”
Dogs Trust Cumbria has helped thousands of dogs find their forever homes since opening in 2019, and it was just a year later that, during lockdown, Annie ran the distance of a marathon in her furry Brewski outfit, by completing 210 circuits of her garden when the London Marathon was postponed. When the virtual London Marathon was arranged later that year, she took to the streets and lanes of Cumbria to complete the distance once again and then in 2021 she headed to the capital for the real thing, completing the full 26.2 miles in her furry dog Brewski outfit. This year, in total she is taking on challenges that will see her run a total of 3,000 miles for the charity – with 1,200 miles left to go after this adventure.
Annie’s previous challenges have raised £2,500 for Dogs Trust and her additional motivation, as well as the many four-legged friends she is helping, is that she always runs in memory of her cousin’s husband, Brian Coulthwaite. Brian, who was the landlord of the Watermill Inn & Windermere Brewery in Ings, near Windermere was a dog lover and supporter of Dogs Trust before he sadly died in March 2019. As he too would have been celebrating his 60thin September this year, it’s even more poignant for Annie.
Tristan Lathey, Community Fundraising Officer at Dogs Trust, says: “Supporters like Annie mean the world to us and our dogs. We couldn’t do what we do without their incredible fundraising, and what Annie is hoping to achieve is exceptional.
“She will need to average 33 miles every day, with some days at over 40 miles, needing an extra push to complete the distance. We of course will be keeping track of how she’s doing and hope that everyone gets behind her so she can reach her target, which would be incredible for our dogs and definitely what Annie deserves given what she is undertaking.”
If you would like to help Annie support dogs in need, please go to https://justgiving.com/page/annie-runbrit
