SWINDON CANCER APPEAL: Kathleen Baker knows a thing or two about keeping fit and now the teenager has added fundraising to her list of talents.

The 14-year-old, from Woodhall Park, Swindon, beat off stiff competition from UK schools to win a chance to run in the five-kilometre London mini-marathon.

And her efforts paid off because Kathleen raised £320 for the Swin-don Cancer Appeal.

A pupil of Farmors School in Fairford, she said: "I love sport. It keeps me fit.

"I don't do any running training now, except in PE lessons, but I do swim.

"I go land training once a week, gym twice a week, body balance, and also swimming training for 12 hours a week.

"For three of those mornings I have to get up at 5am."

To most this may sound like too much hard work but Kathleen relishes her active life-style.

She has sport in the blood.

She said: "My mum, Tina, is a national timekeeper and judge, and my dad, Graham, is a coach for Tigersharks swimming club.

"I started running in a schools' competition when I was 13, but had already started swimming for Tigersharks two years before.

"I got into swimming through a learn-to-swim programme at New College along with my sister Sarah, who is 12, and then we joined the swimming club."

And as if all the training wasn't enough, Kathleen had to endure several rounds of competition before making the finals for the mini-marathon.

She said: "First we had to come in the top eight in Gloucestershire.

"Then we went to Cardiff for the Reebok Challenge competition.

"After that it was the district championships in Truro, Cornwall. That got me through to the national school cross-country championships in Brighton, and then we won the small counties championships which qualified the county for the mini marathon for the first time."

Kathleen, of Rams-thorne Close, said that she decided to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Relief after reading the Evening Advert-iser.

She added: "When I was selected to run I thought it would be a nice idea to raise money for the charity.

"A teacher at our school, Miss Stevens, has just died from cancer. She was only 40 years old.

"Also my nanny, my dad's mum, died of breast cancer when he was 14.

"It's a good way to help the appeal."

Kathleen now has her heart set on running a full-length marathon.

She said: "It was such a great experience doing the mini-marathon that I'd love to do a proper one when I'm older."

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