MILITARY personnel gathered near Winchester on Monday (Mar 31) for the ‘Marathon of Marathons’.

Whilst they’re no strangers to gruelling challenges, they had their hands full as a team of 24, all chefs in the Army and the Royal Air Force, maintained a constant relay around Worthy Down Army base.

They ran around the clock for seven days, starting on March 21, covering a total distance of 676 miles. Just for good measure, all were carrying a 15kg load.

The aim was to raise funds for Elizabeth Jones, whose dad works at the Worthy Down base. The 10-year-old, from Aldershot, has her own charity, Bumpy’s Cancer Trust and all proceeds are going to the Royal Marsden Hospital where she is being treated for pancreatic cancer.

Staff Sergeant Jackie Pickin, who organised the event with WO2 Simonne Cox, said: “The event has been very hard but morale has been high throughout and we are pleased we have met our target of £2000, but now we are seeing how much more money we can raise.”

Participant Sergeant Scott Espley, from the RAF, said: “The hardest part had been getting up ready for my stint between 4 and 5 in the morning. As a chef I used to be used to early shifts but now I instruct and I have got out of the habit”.

To contribute, visit www.justgiving.com/jacque-simonne