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A COUPLE of determined police officers are nearly halfway through their challenge to run 5km a day for a whole year, and are showing no signs of slowing.

Paula Sacree and her partner Barry Watson, who both work in Portsmouth, are not even halfway through the colossal task of running 5km a day for 365 days and have already raised £1287 for Macmillan Cancer Support

Paula, 37, and Barry, 40, - both sergeants at Hampshire constabulary - squeeze their runs in between unsociable hours, running both at work and at home on their treadmill in whatever time they have to spare.

The couple decided to take on the challenge after having supported a colleague at work whose wife was suffering with cancer, and seeing the effect it had.

Running 5km for a year

Caption: Paula Sacree and Barry Watson are running 5km for 365 days in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.
Picture: Jenna Hornett — Running 5km for a year Caption: Paula Sacree and Barry Watson are running 5km for 365 days in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. Picture: Jenna Hornett

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Paula said: ‘It really made me realise how much cancer affects people and how awful it is, not only for someone to go through as an individual, but equally for the loved ones.

‘It made me very emotional because I felt so much sorrow for them, and that was me as an outsider not having to live with it everyday.’

When a colleague alerted the couple to the challenge, they were keen to be involved and have thrown themselves in, having never missed a day since they started at the beginning of the year.

The pair, who live in Bishopstoke in Eastleigh, continued their daily runs when they caught Covid-19 a month ago and people around them told them to stop and ‘rest’.

‘I thought back to why I’m doing it, the pain that people go through and I thought you know what, doing a run for just over 30 minutes and being a bit breathless is just nothing in comparison,’ said Paula.

Friend Jenna Hornett added: ‘With all the hard work the police do and have done during Covid, it has been inspirational to see these two take on even more in such a selfless act.’

Paula and Barry are logging and posting videos on Instagram @paulapops217 and Facebook daily, to document their journey over the year.

‘I like people to see that I am doing it, I can’t miss a day I would feel too guilty to everyone who has donated,’ said Paula.

To donate visit justgiving.com/fundraising/FiveKADay4AYear2022.

Two Hampshire police officers raise £1,287 for Macmillan following pledge to run 5km a day for a year