THREE flatmates have raised nearly £2,000 for Manchester United and England football legend Michael Carrick’s charity by completing a marathon with a difference.

Rachel Hartley, Lydia Heerey and Zilah Chaudhry, from Wilmslow, ran a mile around Wilmslow on the hour, every hour to complete their marathon.

They began their mission at 5pm on Friday and finished it at 7pm on Saturday.

They were joined at intervals by relatives, colleagues and friends running in socially-distanced formation. The guest runners included Michael’s wife Lisa.

Now the friends have embarked on the second leg of their fundraising efforts for the foundation, which provides opportunities for young people through community projects across Greater Manchester and Tyne and Wear.

They are running, walking or cycling five kilometres each day during December, clocking up a total of 465 kilometres, and so far their efforts have raised £1,951.

Rachel, 27 is operations excellence manager at Macclesfield-based Kinaxia Logistics.

Lydia, 28, is a PA at Waterland Private Equity in Wilmslow and Zilah, 31, is a manager at testing company ALS Food and Pharmaceutical.

Rachel said: “The foundation is a fantastic charity that supports young people by unlocking their sporting potential, developing their skills and resilience and helping them become positive figures in their communities.

Knutsford Guardian:

Rachel Hartley, Lydia Heerey, Zilah Chaudhry

“Zilah plays netball with Lisa and did the 5km challenge last year. She was doing it again this year, and Lydia and I thought we should give it a go too. The marathon idea was something we set out to do as a challenge to ourselves.

“We really pushed ourselves to the limit. The sleep deprivation was tough, but we had a little nap between some of the one-mile runs.

“It was well worth the effort though, as we managed to raise an excellent sum for a brilliant cause.”

Michael Carrick wrote on the foundation’s social media channels: “A huge thank you to these three superheroes. Every penny will go to support disadvantaged young people.”

Rachel said the trio appreciated the support of those joining in the run with them, and the dozens of friends and relatives who turned out to cheer them on.

You can donate at justgiving.com/fundraising/lydia-heerey