What’s that coming over the hill? It’s Sergeant Ollie Plant and his team of plucky runners gearing up for the Great Eastern Run.

Sergeant Plant and his 32-strong crew of officers and staff from Cambridgeshire Constabulary are taking on the 13.1 mile course on October 13 to raise money for Peterborough Women’s Aid, a charity that helps women in difficult situations and empowers them to seek advice, support, guidance and refuge.

The team have been training hard for the past three months, pounding the pavements in readiness for the half marathon.

“Training has been going really well, aside from a few blisters and sore knees,” said Sergeant Plant.

“We’ve been focussed on slowly building up the distance and adding in a few inclines to really test ourselves.

“The Peterborough course is mercifully pretty flat, but that means it will be quick, so we need to make sure we’re well prepared and up to speed – quite literally!

“We’re running for Peterborough Women’s Aid, a fantastic charity and vital lifeline for women in the Peterborough area. We’ve worked closely with the charity over the years to ensure victims of violence are supported and we want to raise as much money as possible for this worthy cause.”

CEO of Peterborough Women’s Aid, Amanda Geraghty, added: “We are overwhelmed by the number of Cambridgeshire Constabulary officers who are running for our charity at the Great Eastern Run.

“We had hoped that we could persuade a couple of runners, but for 32 to sign up to support us is incredible, and as a team they will be one of our biggest fundraisers this year.

“All the runners will be sporting one of our Women’s Aid t-shirts and our staff and volunteers will be cheering them on from the sidelines all around the course.

“It should be a fabulous atmosphere, and we would encourage anyone who can, to come along on the day. Every single penny raised will go towards supporting survivors in the local area.”

Look out for follow-up comms after the event and find out more about the runners on the Peterborough Women’s Aid website.

In the meantime, donations to Women’s Aid are gratefully received by the team and can be made via the team’s JustGiving Page.

(Image: Police)