A Cumbrian woman is getting ready to run over 1000 miles across the country, as part of her 60th birthday celebrations.

Annie Rawlinson from Levens, near Kendal, is preparing to take on the Run Britannia Rat Race, which will start at Lands’ End and finish at John O’Groats.

Billed as the ‘holy grail of UK adventures’, the run follows a largely off-road route and climbs over hills, into valleys, moors and mountains with 70, 000 ft of elevation.

Annie will set off from one end of the country on June 1 and hopes to make it to the finish line by July 5.

The adventure is designed to take in some of the most beautiful trails in the UK and will include, the Southwest Coastal path, Wye Valley Walk, Offa’s Dyke, Clyde Walkway, the West Highland Way, and the Great Glen Way.

Annie is an avid runner and has been for years, she has already undertaken many different running challenges and continues to raise money for two charities close to her heart – Levens Playing Field, and Dogs Trust.

Annie said: “About three years ago I was looking for an exciting challenge I could train for to mark my 60th year and read about the Rat Race Run Britannia.  It is going to be an incredible adventure, and I’ve never done anything like it before.”

As a diversion during training, Annie has been counting the number of dogs she sees, so far the total is an incredible 1,909.  She said: “I’ll be keeping up my canine count during the run too, which will spur me on!”

 Annie’s Big Birthday Run Festival won’t stop at John O’Groats, she sets herself a new challenge each year, so to celebrate her 60th birthday, she decided to really stretch herself and aims to reach 3000 miles by the end of 2024.

Having lived in Levens for almost 27 years, Annie knows how important The Playing Fields are to the local community, which inspired her to raise money for the facility. She said: “It is going to take everything I have physically and mentally to complete RunBrit, but it will be worth it as I know I’m contributing for the future sports people of Levens.”

Alice Sharples, Treasurer of Levens Playing Field Committee said: “We're in awe of Annie, her ambition and endurance. We're also very grateful that she has chosen Levens Playing Fields to benefit from her fundraising efforts, as we're embarking on a £100,000 facelift of our tarmac courts this year and every penny counts!”

On Day 17 out of 35 of the Run Britannia, Annie is passing along the Canal Path in Sedgwick as she tackles the stretch from Lancaster to Kendal. She will have a tracker so everyone can keep an eye out when she passes close to home on June 17.

 Annie is hoping to raise £1 per mile of her 1030 mile journey and has set up a fundraising page: https://www.gofundme.com/f/big-birthday-run-britannia?utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=poster