It took a heroic effort and miles of running on a fractured ankle but an Ammanford woman has successfully completed a gruelling challenge, to run 62 miles in aid of a cause very dear to her heart.

Kelly Rowlands had set herself a challenge to take part in the Thames Valley Path Challenge in aid of Cancer Research and succeeded- running 100km in 25 hours- amazingly for four of those hours with a fractured ankle and torn ligaments.

And what makes the achievement so much more poignant, is that Kelly, 25, was doing it to support her father Jack Galinsky, who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and who had pledged to meet her at the finish line, despite being extremely poorly.

And so it was a determined and emotional Kelly, of Pontarddulais, who crossed the finish line just one hour after her target time.

“It was a very surreal and weird feeling, very emotional,” explains Kelly who manages the family’s firm- Ammanford Metal Recycling.

“The last 5k I think I was doing it in a between a hobble and a walk. I’d met up with a guy who was also struggling so we did the last bit together. There was another race about to begin and we had all these runners cheering us on and I could see my parents there as well and it was just such a weird moment.”

Kelly, who is also a successful beauty queen- most recently being crowned second runner-up for Miss Universe Great Britain, then spent two days receiving treatment for her injuries. But the pain was eased by the news that she has raised £2,000 so far for the run.

And that amount will be boosted by Trade Centre Wales, who offered to double their donation if Jack kept up his battle against his illness and saw her complete the event.

“My Dad was determined to be there to see me complete it and I’m just so happy he was. The support we’ve received has been overwhelming and it was what drove me one. I’m blown away by the amount of donations and well-wishes I’ve had.”

Kelly will now be in cast for three months and despite a passion for running and cycling, she’s now having a well-earned rest before she decides on what challenge to take on next.

There’s still time to support Kelly and you can donate online via her Just Giving page at Kelly’s 100k Challenge.