Staff Sergeant Zoe Leeming-Watts, based at RAF Honington near Bury St Edmunds, tackles marathon a day for Breast Cancer Now and friend’s niece

As she tackles a marathon a day this month, servicewoman and bodybuilder Zoe Leeming-Watts has two women who lost their lives to cancer on her mind.

Zoe, 43, a Staff Sergeant in the Royal Army Physical Training Corps who is based at RAF Honington, near Bury St Edmunds, is running or rowing at least the marathon distance of 26.2 miles each day to raise money and awareness.

Her challenge, which will see her complete just shy of 800 miles in total, is supporting the charity Breast Cancer Now in memory of her school friend’s sister Sarah Brown, who died from breast cancer in March this year aged 37.

Sarah, from Birmingham, leaves behind a seven-year-old daughter and donations will also go towards a day out for her.

Zoe, a world champion bodybuilder who lives in Thetford, is also doing the challenge in memory of her mum Susan, who lost her life to cancer.

She said: “When I was 17 I joined the Army. I got on the train to join the Army and six weeks into my basic training I found out my mum had breast cancer at 47.

“She must have had it for two years without knowing. She passed away about two weeks later and I couldn’t get home because I was in the Army.”

She said she struggled to cope and left the Army, rejoining when she was 22. She will have completed 22 years in January.

Zoe, who is with 28 Engineer Regiment, said her friend’s sister Sarah had rung the bell in hospital to say she was all clear, however unfortunately she died from the disease.

She said she thought about her mum and Sarah as she clocked up the miles, adding: “I get quite emosh.”

As well as being in memory of her mum and Sarah, the challenge is also to raise awareness.

“People are just getting it when they are younger – and not just females - and it’s becoming more common. That’s what keeps me going [on the challenge],” added Zoe, who runs her own personal training business, Natural Physique Fitness.

For some of her runs, the servicewoman has military kit weighing 37Ibs on her back. With the added weight, sometimes she’s running and then she’s walking, with it taking an extra half-an-hour to an hour to complete what is normally for her a four-hour marathon.

However, before this challenge, Zoe had never run a marathon. She always has to be ‘running fit’ for her job, though.

She splits her marathon miles across the day, which is why she believes she has not been injured. “I’m letting myself recover,” she said.

She said during week one of the challenge she was ‘in the hurt locker’, but her body has been getting used to it.

Lisa Jennings, Sarah’s sister, said: “I cannot believe she is still going and smiling at the same time.”

She wanted to thank Zoe for doing the challenge in memory of her sister, and said she knew it was for Zoe’s mum as well.

Zoe, who trains at IronIsland gym near ASDA in Bury, has been competing in ‘natural bodybuilding’ (which means no drugs) since 2016.

She is a pro athlete in four federations and competes at world level. Last year, she competed in LA at the WNBF (World Natural Bodybuilding Federation) world championships, coming second in women’s bodybuilding.

She has actually been doing additional miles to be able to finish her marathon challenge on Sunday. The finale will take place at IronIsland gym.

Donations have now reached more than £1,000. To donate visit Zoe’s JustGiving page here.