St Ives 'Fridge Runner' gears up for 31 marathons in 31 days
Laura Bird made headlines in 2024 by running the London Marathon with a fridge on her back
She's run the London Marathon with a 25kg fridge on her back, and now a St Ives woman is lacing her running shoes once again.
Laura Bird is preparing to run 31 marathons in 31 days - one marathon a day - in the month of May for charity Rays of Sunshine, which helps grant wishes for seriously ill children.
It's the same charity she ran for in the London Marathon two years ago.
"The preparation for it is quite similar (to the fridge run), it's very intense and consumes your whole life but in a really positive way, so I love it," Laura said.
In 2024, Laura caught the headlines when she became the first woman to carry a fridge around the 26.2-mile London Marathon course.
Two years on, she wants to raise £31,000 for the same charity by running a month's worth of marathons in her hometown of St Ives.
It's a challenge Laura has been preparing for since October last year, and for an event, she said a normal distance would be "15 to 20 miles a week.
"There are going to be days I probably think 'I don't know if I can do this', but I've got a purpose and there is quite literally nothing that will stop me."
No stranger to pushing her limits, Laura has previously completed marathons and Iron Woman competitions.
Since her record run in London, she said many people who don't know her name refer to her as the 'fridge runner'.
Laura is also an ambassador for Rays of Sunshine, having first noticed the charity at a previous marathon.
"People talk a lot about me suffering in May, being tired and in pain, but that's nothing compared to what these families and children are going through," she added.
"The first ever time I took it out, it took me about 22 minutes to cover a mile and I was thinking it was make or break; I've either got to continue on and do this, or I call it quits.
"The fundamental part of these challenges is getting out and turning up every single time."
Laura plans to start and end her 31 marathons in 31 days challenge at One Leisure in St Ives on Westwood Road between May 1-31.