Doncaster mum runs solo marathon around the town centre

Clair Hibbert, aged 41, lives in Doncaster town centre, and after the marathon she planned to run this month was cancelled due to Covid-19 she decided to run one by herself.

She mapped out a route around the town centre and looped around it to achieve the 26.2 miles required to complete a marathon.

Clair said: “I didn’t know how much longer we’re going to be able to run freely without more restrictions put on so I decided now was the time to do it.

“I’m a key worker who works with children but I had a week off so I thought why not.”

Clair was scheduled to take part in a marathon in Lincolnshire on April 19 but after it was cancelled she did not want to put all her training to waste.

She said: “The route passed my house on Chequer Road and my two sons stood outside to give me water and food each time I went by.”The route that Clair created passed the Doncaster Royal Infirmary.

She said: “There were rainbows in every single window, it made me well up at the sight of it.

“But it was nice that when I was doing the run I could mostly switch off from the virus and not have to worry about family members.”

When Clair completed the marathon she video called her partner who she has not been able to see since the start of Covid-19.

She said: “I was quite emotional when I crossed the line, it’s a big achievement and I didn’t have anybody there in person to see it.

“But it was lovely to have him there virtual to share it with.”

Because Clair did not have an official medal to mark the moment she decided to repurpose an old one of her father’s who ran marathons in the 80s.

She said: “It’s going to become a tradition in the family now when anyone completes their first marathon I will pass the medal down to them.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you

Nancy Fielder, editor