Aylesbury Vale wheelchair user completes gruelling marathon challenge

A wheelchair user from Aylesbury Vale celebrated finishing her mammoth fundraising challenge in Bournemouth last Wednesday (26 July).

Sharon Mynard, who lives in Quainton, spent 630 days pushing herself for an average of 4.44 miles every day.

Sharon, who has been using a wheelchair for nearly 40 years, covered 2,795 miles in total, which is the equivalent of the circumference of the UK.

She was left with 95 miles to complete in the final five days of the challenge, prior to wheeling down to Bournemouth. This meant for the final leg of the challenge the Quainton woman was pushing herself roughly the equivalent of a marathon distance each day.

Sharon has been in a wheelchair following a horse riding accident at the age of 16. Despite this, in the last few years she has pushed herself, both literally and figuratively, to raise funds for health causes.

Brain Tumour Research was Sharon’s chosen charity for the extended fundraiser, as a dear friend of Sharon’s, Rory Gilsenan, was diagnosed with the disease. This meant Sharon saw firsthand the devastation tumours can cause.

Sharon said: “Raising money for Brain Tumour Research has become a passion (some people would say an obsession!) for me. Watching Rory go through surgery, and seeing what his family went through, was heartbreaking.

“I was looking for something to get my teeth into a new focus, following the break up of my marriage. Fundraising was something I could do, hence me starting to push. I have pushed a 5k, a full marathon and organised the Lockdown Lollop. Since I started, the cause has become even closer to me, as my partner of two years, Tim, has had brain surgery twice.”

Sharon’s fundraising page remains open and can be accessed online here. Over the past year she has raised £5,402 for the national charity. During Sharon’s push around the country supporters were encouraged to join her for laps or the challenge, or to add songs to her Spotify playlist.

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