I wonder why I said I would do it now, says festival chief

THE chief executive of the Henley Festival will be running to raise money for Sue Ryder.

Jo Bausor, 53, from Bix, says it will be the biggest challenge she has faced.

She said: “I wonder why I said I would do it now. I am not an elite athlete. I run 5km and sometimes I reached 10km during the covid pandemic and I play a bit of tennis. Basically, I just want to raise as much as possible.”

She says she follows a training plan which involves running three or four times a week as well as doing a weekly long distance run which increases in length. Mrs Bausor said: “So far, I have run up to 12 miles and I think, ‘Oh no, I will still have another 14 miles left on the day’. If you break it down into chunks, it is more manageable. I also have weight training if I am still awake.

“I fit it in early in the morning before work and do the long run at the weekends, so my social life is minimal. I have a long-suffering husband.

“I run both outdoors and at the gym. I prefer outdoors because there are the most beautiful places around here. It is quite nice down by the river and where I live in Bix is lovely too.

“My husband, Daniel, is very sporty and has done the London Marathon twice. He has a lot of advice for me, although I remind him that it was quite a number of years ago.

“I don’t have a time I want to achieve, I just want to get around running the whole way.

“Hopefully, I will have various friends and family members stationed around the course on the day which will give me such a lift.

“This is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime appearance. I can absolutely tell you categorically now it is not going to happen again.”

To make a donation, visit https://www.justgiving.com/
fundraising/jo-bausor