A 20-year-old endurance athlete from Bradford is attempting to become the youngest woman to run the full length of the UK in just 20 days.
Ellie Horrocks, already a Guinness World Record holder for completing 8,321 chest-to-floor burpees in 24 hours, has launched her latest challenge: Project 20-20-20.
Setting off from John O’Groats on Friday, Ms Horrocks plans to run approximately 44 miles daily, covering the 880-mile distance to Land’s End in under three weeks.
Her goal is to raise £30,000 to purchase 20 defibrillators for installation in gyms across the UK, while also covering the cost of the ambitious journey.
So far, her GoFundMe campaign has surpassed the £15,000 mark. “I chose defibs as, as much as I don’t want the machines to be used in the first place…if they need to be used, they will potentially save someone’s life and keep a family together for longer,” she said.
The young athlete has been under cardiac investigation for the past few years, following an abnormal ECG detected during a triathlon event.
“I have realised how important it is to have defibs close by. I want to buy as many as possible, the more defibs I buy the more lives we save,” she added.
A qualified CrossFit coach and triathlete, Ms Horrocks discovered scar tissue and inverted T-waves on her ECG – a sign of potential cardiac issues. “Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, anywhere. Only 8.3 per cent of those 85,783 out-of-hospital cases in England in 2023 received a defibrillator. I want to change that,” she said.
Her father, Michael, is accompanying her for the duration of the run, ensuring logistical and emotional support. On the first night, he cooked her a hearty spaghetti bolognese to keep her going.
In a YouTube video outlining the project, Ms Horrocks recalled her introduction to sport: “My dad always used to say to me if you’re living in my house, you’ve got to do sport twice a week, so I went into cheerleading and did swimming lessons. Swimming lessons was were I found my love for sport.”
She also opened up about the moment she discovered her heart condition: “They were doing this thing called cardiac risk in the young, and everyone was coming out saying my heart’s fine. I went in and they said ‘oh Ellie, sit down for me’, I was bricking it thinking something was wrong.
“My T waves were upside down…I had to go and have tests. They basically said you can’t do sport if it carries on getting worse…having that in my head when you’re training is pretty tough.”
While she anticipates physical strain and the risk of injury as her greatest hurdles, Ms Horrocks is confident her mental strength will carry her through to Land’s End. The journey, fuelled by passion and purpose, is one of grit, awareness, and the hope of saving lives through sport.
