My exceptional friend, paediatric colleague, and fellow fan of running over mountains died of suicide on March 24th 2021. I am doing this challenge in memory of her, and to raise some funds to help others who may be suffering like she did. 

I first met Polly in Leeds in 2006, where we both studied International Health. She went on to train as a paediatrician. She took her skills to areas of most need in Swaziland, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Kenya. All her colleagues agree that she was extraordinarily dedicated to her work, and compassionate in its application. She loved spending time in mountains: running, cycling and climbing. She was like a surrogate auntie to my three daughters. The cover picture here is her with our eldest back in 2014, capturing how caring she was with children. 

My challenge is to run up each of three 500m peaks in the Campsie Fells 100 times over 2021. The three peaks are Dumbreck (508m), Cort-ma Law (531m) and Lecket Hill (547m). This adds up to a total of more than 100,000m of ascent (equivalent to 11 x Mount Everest) and more than 200 hours of running.