ANNE Harwood is someone who clearly likes a challenge.

She joined Blackburn Road Runners and trained for her first marathon aged 50. At the age of 56 she took part in her first triathlon and did so well she was selected to represent Great Britain in her age group in the World Championships in Canada.

Then, aged 65, just months after undergoing a 10-hour operation to treat liver cancer she successfully completed a gruelling race along the Great Wall of China to raise funds for a charity run by the surgeon who treated her.

But now at the age of 77 she faces possibly her sternest test yet - the famous London Marathon which will be held next month.

Although she has over a dozen successful marathons to her name - including London and New York - it is 11 years since Anne last ran competitively.

“I think they might have reopened the roads in London by the time I get to the finish line,” she said, “but I’m determined to finish.”

Anne, who lives in Clitheroe, is using her marathon exploits to raise funds for Parkinson’s UK. Her husband Keith, who played cricket for Darwen and East Lancs, had lived with the disease since 2000 but suffered from complications following heart surgery in 2014 which left him in a vegetative state before he died in 2016.

Anne is campaigning for Parkinson’s sufferers to receive additional help when they are treated in hospital for other conditions.

“It is something very close to my heart and I want to try and raise as much money as I can,” said Anne, who will be running in an official Parkinson’s UK vest.

“In lockdown I had put on two stone and I think like a lot of people I had started to get into a bit of a funk. But I decided to do something positive and took up running again.”

In April Anne was struck down with achilles tendonitis which has hampered her training ever since.

“I’ve had some excellent physio and it’s fine now so I’m not worried on that score. I know I’ve still got it in me to complete another marathon.”

Anne, who has two sons Chris and Paul and a daughter Kim and grandchildren, admits she won’t be coming close to her personal best time for a marathon - four hours 12 minutes.

“I think I might have to have a miner’s lamp to see where I’m going towards the end,” she joked. “Unless something happens that’s out of my control I’ll get to that finish line.”

Anne is looking to raise a minimum of £2,000 with her marathon effort and donations can be made via https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/AnneHarwood1