AFTER vowing never to do a marathon again after her first, six years and six challenges later, a Whitchurch woman is taking on her biggest mission yet — to walk four marathons in four days.

Sixty-six-year-old Stella Pennell has walked a number of marathons since her first — all decked in decorated bras — to raise money for Walk the Walk, a breast cancer care charity that gives out grants to finance research, patient care at home and in hospital and respite care, but she says this will be her last challenge — ‘probably’.

Next month Stella will head out to the Netherlands to take part in the Nijmegen Marches, an event which will see nearly 50,000 people cover nearly 100 miles in four days. She has spent months training in preparation and has already racked up over 400-miles.

Stella said she didn’t want to be an ‘old’ 60-year-old.

‘I started walking marathons with Walk the Walk because I didn’t want to be an old lady at 60 like my mother had been,’ she said. ‘Also my best friend had had two malignant lumps in the same breast. She is currently in remission, although she has had three further lumps, which thankfully have been benign.

‘I started with the London Moonwalk in 2012, then the Iceland Moonwalk (2013) and Edinburgh Moonwalk (2014). Then 2015 saw me walk the Berlin marathon and 2016 the Dublin marathon. Last year took me back to the London Moonwalk. This year I thought I’d go for a big one and got a place at the Nijmegen Marches. All marathons have been with Walk the Walk and are done in decorated bras!’

Stella said last week: ‘I have five weeks of training left and have already walked 400 plus miles in training — on the roads, cycle paths and on the moor. I did the Dartmoor Yomp — 12.5 miles with groups organised by Royal Marines at Bickleigh Barracks.

‘I train on my own and am quite happy doing that. I don’t really like crowds and find the thought of being part of 47,000 participants daunting. I am in a mixed team of 20. Also, I’m not really a morning person and the marches start at 4am!’

Stella has raised more than £3,000 in the last six years and already has more than £600 pledged for this event.

‘This is probably my last challenge — at least doing full marathons,’ she said. ‘I usually do the St Luke’s Midnight Walk and the Dartmoor Yomp each year but the training is getting harder to fit into family life. I also had an emergency operation in February and am finding it harder to get my speed back, although the distance isn’t a problem luckily!

‘I never intended to do another marathon after the first, and yet here I go again with four in four days!’

Anyone who would like to support Stella in her last major challenge can do so by visiting https://nijmegenmarches2018.everydayhero.com/uk/stella-s-last-challenge-probably