Kelly goes the distance for The Christie

A local martial arts star recently swapped combat for endurance, as she tackled the Manchester Marathon for a fantastic cause. 

Kelly Buxton, the owner of Evolution Martial Arts in Hadfield, took to the streets last month to raise funds for The Christie, a charity close to her heart. 

The multi world championship winner, who also coaches at the club, made the decision to take matters into her own hands after her student Emma was diagnosed with leukaemia last year. 

Emma had signed up for the marathon just days before her diagnosis, with Kelly making the promise that she would take part in the event on her behalf. 

Through her JustGiving page, Kelly has raised over £2000, smashing her initial target of £1500 before the event even began. 

The 45-year-old finished the 26.2-mile race in just over five hours, and said crossing the line made all her gruelling training worthwhile: 

“I didn’t think I was going to enjoy the race, but it was a fantastic day,” the Dukinfield resident the Chronicle. 

“The support from the crowds in Manchester was amazing and it created a great atmosphere.  

“The hardest part of it all for me was the training, all the cold, wet long runs. The marathon at the end of a 24-week training block was the icing on the cake. 

“I hated running before I started, and initially I was like, ‘what have I got myself into?’ But as the months have gone on, I’ve actually grown to quite like it. 

“There was a really bad run, where I did 19 miles in the chucking down rain, and came back and thought ‘what have I done?’ But it’s all been worth it.” 

Though training was understandably difficult, Kelly admits her sporting background has been immensely beneficial: 

“I’m used to having to be disciplined, that’s the one thing that’s helped me. 

“We train twice a day when preparing for the World Championships, so I’m no stranger to that. 

“I’ve been doing four runs a week, and it’s been difficult, but I’m glad I put the work in. 

“I’ve had to learn how to run properly as well.  

“We used to do runs as part of our training, but it was always running a couple of miles as fast as you can. 

“I realised quite quickly that I needed to slow myself down to be able to run further distances.” 

She has no plans to rest on her laurels either, and is already planning to tackle the Great North Run later this year, for the same cause. 

This year also promises to be a busy one on the combat front, with her martial arts students gearing up for another World Championships. 

Evolution will be taking several athletes to Spain this October, to compete for yet more silverware. 

To donate to Kelly’s just giving page, visit the following link: https://tinyurl.com/mr3b5bku