A SCHOOLTEACHER who ran Sunday’s Swansea Half-Marathon in tribute to her father has helped raise more than £3,000 for charity.
Haberdashers’ Monmouth School for Girls’ rowing coach Kate Callaghan was inspired to run the 13.1-mile course in aid of the Alzheimers Society by her ’amazing dad’ John Hartland, the former Wales rowing coach.
And after finishing in one hour 54 minutes and 22 seconds, she said: "It was just thinking about my dad and all the kind sponsors that got me up the hill at the end of the run.
"At the start, some people came up to me and said my dad had taught them at Monmouth School and they’d be cheering me on, which was a real boost.
"And at the halfway mark, we ran past Mumbles Rowing Club, where dad often took boats to race and there were crews out rowing, which was really nice.
"The crowd were really supportive all the way and it’s great to raise so much in tribute to dad, so a big thanks to all the sponsors."
Kate, the GB U16 rowing team’s assistant manager, ran with sisters Hannah, Megan and Emily Davies, who were all pupils at Haberdashers’ and completed the challenge in honour of their grannie Evelyn Davies, from Caerleon, to jointly raise money for the Alzheimers Society and Stroke Association.
Megan and Hannah both rowed for Wales at junior level, while the latter also won GB U16 honours, and Emily is the girlfriend of Kate’s son Dominic, who cheered them on with his dad Patrick.
Mum-of-two Kate, 51, finished first in her age group among all the alzheimers fundraisers, and was fifth best woman for the charity over all, while Hannah finished in two hours seven minutes, Megan in two hours 22 and Emily in two hours 36.
You can still sponsor the quartet at www.justgiving.com/teams/Runningforourheroes