Gwen Mtambirwa from Wellingborough
A Wellingborough woman walked 874 miles for charity in less than three months.
Although Gwen Mtambirwa is a mother of three and works full time, she managed to master the virtual challenge “Lands End to John O’Groats”.
She started on January 1st and achieved her personal goal of finishing it by Easter by running an average of 9.4 miles per day.
Gwen finished the challenge in 82 days and walked 79 of them, with 83 walks covering 615 miles outside and 69 walks covering 258 miles on the treadmill.
In this challenge, she walked through 38 towns, villages and hamlets in and around Wellingborough, visited 40 Church of England churches and spotted 39 different species of birds and 13 different species of animals.
Gwen told the Northants Telegraph, “When the lockdown started, I got out quite a bit, but then had to get it out once a week so I thought I have to get back out and combine it with this challenge.”
She was outside in rain or shine, even in temperatures below freezing, as the wind chill factor makes it feel more like -7 ° C.
But she loved being able to explore the beautiful scenery in and around where she lived, including visiting places she’d never been before and touring many of the beautiful churches in the county.
She said, “One of my nicest walks was in late January when it was snowing. I did 12 or 13 miles that day.”
And she added, “There are these beautiful hidden gems that I just didn’t know about like Finedon Pocket Park. Little did I know that this lovely little park is only 45 minutes away from me.”
The Northamptonshire Walks website helped with route suggestions and Gwen added, “There is so much inspiration there with so many beautiful villages and towns with so much history.”
Gwen took photos on her walks and bought herself a new camera to make sure she never missed the perfect shot.
To see more of her pictures from the past three months, click here.
She loved the challenge and said, “It was really nice and I found my love for running again.”
So far the challenge has raised 1,400 pounds.
The money is split between USPG, an Anglican missionary agency that supports churches around the world in their mission to bring abundant lives to the communities they serve.
Their work includes improving health, combating poverty, educating children, combating discrimination and raising the voice of women.
Gwen’s other selected charity is Restored, a charity that provides training and resources to Christians / churches to help end domestic abuse.
She said, “I finished this challenge and signed up for Route 66 which is 2,278 miles long and you can cycle for that route.
“I signed up my 13-year-old to ride across America, but he can go a lot farther than me on the exercise bike.”
Gwen’s sons helped her with the challenge, including cooking dinner while she covered the miles and congratulating her on graduation.
She said, “They all congratulated me and hugged me, but they think I’m a little crazy!”