Girl, 13, runs half marathon for charity

THE youngest person to enter this year’s Henley half marathon raised more than £700 for charity.

Elin Barr, 13, from Henley, took part in the 13-mile race for the first time, finishing in a time of two hours, 10 minutes and 38 seconds.

She ran with her mother Jenny Ovstedal, who finished in two hours, 11 minutes and one second.

Elin raised £700 for Cancer Research UK, specifically for prostate cancer.

She said: “Cancer affects so many families, including mine, and it kills so many people. I really want to find a cure.

“I originally just wanted to make a bit of money because I didn’t know how generous people would be but I am very pleased that I raised so much.” Elin is an avid runner, who used to take part in cross-country races when she was at Rupert House School in Bell Street and now does so at Headington School in Oxford, which she attends.

She was cheered on by her father and siblings, who had made signs.

Elin said: “The route was definitely challenging and I could have given up at about 11 miles if I hadn’t been with Mum.

“I am glad that I kept going, even it wasn’t at the pace I hoped for. It felt good afterwards.”

Ms Ovstedal, who works at Rupert House, said: “I did a little more training than Elin and I have run many half marathons before and some full marathons so I found it okay. I’m not very fast, though. Elin has long days at school so finds it harder to find the time to go for longer runs.

“I was very proud of her mental and physical strength. Her legs wanted to give up at mile 11 but she refused to stop.”

Elin’s inspiration was her grandfather James Barr, who is still a keen runner at the age of 70.

Meanwhile, a woman has raised £800 for her children’s school by running a half marathon for the first time.

Linda Winder, 45, of Highlands Park, Henley, completed the Oxford half marathon on Sunday in a time of two hours and 20 minutes.

She was raising money for Sacred Heart Primary School, where her daughters, Willow, nine, and Melody, six, are pupils. At the finish she was met by her husband, Richard, and the girls who had made placards.

Mrs Winder said: “It went really well. I ran the whole thing and my time was about what I had done in training.

“It was a beautiful day, so lovely and sunny and perfect for the run. There were about 12,000 people running, so it was quite a sight.

“There were so many people cheering everyone’s names, even if they didn’t know you and it really helped you get around.

“I have managed to get donations up to £800, which is amazing. I'm really looking forward to seeing what the school can do with it. It has been nice for us to get involved as we are fairly new to the school.”

To celebrate, Mrs Winder went to the pub and ate a “really big
burger”.