Long-range runners haul in charity cash and start preparing for the London Marathon

THREE ladies from Little Easton managed to conquer the rather large Great North Run earlier this year and now they have returned to say thankyou to all of their sponsors. Lisa Smith, Sharon Williams and Suzanne Monks took on the race back in the middle of

THREE ladies from Little Easton managed to conquer the rather large Great North Run earlier this year and now they have returned to say thankyou to al of their sponsors.

Lisa Smith, Sharon Williams and Suzanne Monks took on the race back in the middle of September and have since been around collecting money to give to their chosen charity The Helen Rollason Cancer Charity.

In total they managed to raise �1667 and were overwhelmed by the generosity of their sponsors.

After training hard for months the trio managed to complete the half marathon course in two hours and 15 minutes.

They said: "We finished ahead of a tree but behind Scooby Doo. It was an unforgettable experience and the atmosphere was fantastic - so supportive and friendly."

The three trained independently during the week and then met up on Sunday mornings for joint training.

As well as their sponsors they would also like to say a huge thank you to Sarah McLagan at Active8 Personal Training who kept them on track with a great training programme, lots of advice and tons of encouragement.

As the three have become such a familiar sight on local roads they are keeping their training going with an eye on the 2010 London Marathon in April.