Daughter’s jungle run tribute for loved Rustington mum

Louise Crocker who will be taking on a gruelling 250km jungle run through the Amazon rainforest in memory of her late mum, Jill.

Firefighter Louise Crocker, formerly of North Lane, but who now lives in Aldershot, will be tackling the 250k ultra-marathon through the Amazon rainforest in loving tribute to her mother, Jill, who died following a five-month fight against a brain tumour in March.

Louise, 41, will race through scorching temperatures topping more than 35 deg C, with humidity levels hitting 100 per cent during the six-day trail – all while carrying a 10kg pack on her back.

She said: “I’m very nervous about the race. Not many people have finished it.

“But it’s something I have always wanted to do. Seeing my mother die was tough, because she became very ill very quickly. So she will definitely be on my mind when I am running.”

Louise, a past student at the now-defunct Littlehampton Community School, is due to fly off to Peru on Thursday (May 23) to begin her adventure.

She will be raising cash for St Barnabas House hospice, in Worthing, whose nurses, she said, provided “invaluable support” for her family while her mother was ill.

Louise said that the nurses would visit the family home, in Preston Paddock, Rustington, to provide much-needed medical treatment for Jill and some essential respite care for her devoted husband, Bim.

“My dad thought he could cope alone and didn’t need help. But as her health deteriorated, he found himself relying more and more on the nurses who did a wonderful job.

“Towards the end they were visiting my mother four or five times a day,” she said.

So far Louise, with the help of her family and friends, has managed to raise just under £2,000 for the hospice.

Intense training

She is now in the final stages of her training before she jets off for the Andes mountain range, where the race begins.

Louise added: “I’m running around 80 miles a week, with longer 30-mile runs at the weekend wearing a 10kg pack which would represent how much food I will be carrying.

“I’m doing a lot of gym work and spending time in the sauna getting used to the heat. All in all it’s about 15 to 20 hours of training a week.”

During the race, Louise will cross around 70 rivers and descend from 11,000ft above sea level to just over 2,000ft.

She is taking part in the challenge with a company called Beyond the Ultimate, and will be competing against 24 other people from across the globe.

Her trip is entirely self-funded so all the money raised will go to St Barnabas House. To donate, see www.justgiving.com/Louise-Crocker2 or visit Burtenshaws Butchery, in The Street, where a collection tin has been placed.