Huddersfield woman completes virtual Great Wall of China challenge in memory of mother-in-law

A Huddersfield woman has completed a Great Wall of China virtual challenge for Yorkshire Cancer Research in memory of her mother-in-law.

Kate Hirst-Bennet ran a total distance of 161 miles in just 25 days to raise funds for the charity after Dawn Bennett passed away from bowel cancer last year.

Kate said: “After my mother-in-law passed away, I decided I wanted to do something to raise money and help fund research.

“I’ve always wanted to go to the Great Wall of China, but of course that just hasn’t been possible in the past few years, so I thought I’d virtually complete the distance.”

Kate signed up to the challenge through a virtual events company and was able to track her progress along the world’s longest man-made structure through a mobile app. The 161-mile route followed the best-preserved portion of the 2183-mile length of the Great Wall of China.

The 41-year-old first began being more active at the start of the pandemic in 2020, and last year completed a virtual trek to the summit of Mount Fuji.

She said: “I found that getting active really helped my mental health, and I loved having a challenge to work towards. This time, I decided to do it for a good cause.

“I woke up at 6am every morning and that was my time to get outside and tackle the challenge.”

Kate didn’t face the distance alone; she was joined by her two dogs, Goober and Bam Bam.

She initially set herself the target of seven weeks to complete the challenge but finished the distance in 25 days, raising £620.

The money will help fund world-leading research to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer in Yorkshire.

Kate continued: “I really enjoyed the challenge and feel great to have made a contribution towards helping people with cancer in Yorkshire.”