Marathon not a sprint

It was definitely a case of a marathon not a sprint for carer Oksana Shimon in her latest charity endeavour.

Oksana, who works for homecare company Caremark Kirklees, ran an incredible 100km in the London to Brighton Ultra Challenge to raise money for Dementia UK.

It ended up being a breeze for the 50-year-old who regularly runs ultra marathons, her longest being an incredible 100 miles.

Oksana, who recently received a special award marking ten years’ service at Caremark Kirklees having been company’s second employee when it was established in June 2015, has so far raised over £900, smashing her original target of £300.

She said: “It took me 15 hours to complete the 100km and it was more difficult mentally than physically but even though I wanted to run it a little quicker, I was delighted to raise so much money for a charity close to my heart.

“In my job with Caremark I support with customers with dementia and my dad’s friend passed away from dementia so it’s something which means a lot to me.”

Oksana took up running the same time she started working for Caremark, initially doing park-runs with her daughter.

She explains: “I wanted to keep my daughter fit and I ended up getting the bug and there’s nothing better for me than coming in after a day of work and going out for a run.”

Caremark Kirklees’ Director Fiona Smith said: “Everyone at Caremark Kirklees is so proud of Oksana and what she has achieved.

“She is an amazing carer and given she has been with us since day one, we wanted to recognise her long service and dedication to her customers.”