Six marathons over six weeks to support York charity

Dawn Auger, who lives in the Clifton Moor area of the city, has decided to take on the gruelling task to support the Trussell Trust in York, who operate a food bank.

Dawn, who manages property for Aviva in York, said: “I wanted to give something back to the community.

“Covid has opened my eyes and its heartbreaking to think some families might not be able to have a proper Christmas together.”

She is currently on the verge of completing the second of the six marathons, having completed the first last week. Dawn is running each of the distances across a number of days, splitting them up into sections.

She plans to run a number of different York-based routes. So far, Dawn has run around Bootham, along the River Ouse and around Monks Cross.

Describing herself as a “casual runner,” Dawn usually manages a couple of 5k runs a week, but has had more time to take on challenges like this during the lockdown as she has been working from home.

Although, Dawn did complete the London Marathon last year, during which she raised vital funds for the British Red Cross.

Dawn, who was recently diagnosed with severe Bipolar disorder, said she wants to prove that this doesn’t have to stop her from taking on staggering challenges like this.

Dawn, 51, said: “I want to prove the diagnosis doesn’t have to be life-limiting for me.”

After just a week of fundraising, Dawn is already half-way to reaching her target of £500, which she is looking to beat if she can.

All of the funds raised by Dawn will be donated directly to the Trussell Trust in York. Last year, food banks in the trust’s network provided more than 1.6 million emergency food parcels to people in crisis. More than half a million of these went to children.

Further information on the Trussell Trust can be found at: https://bit.ly/36FIBFm

To donate to Dawn’s marathon challenge, visit her online donation page at: https://bit.ly/38Quqjl