As thousands turn out to pound London’s streets this weekend, a female soldier serving in Kabul will be running a special marathon of her own for military patients at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB).

Siobhan Fitzpatrick is running 26 miles on a treadmill in a gym at her base in Kabul on Sunday 17 April to raise funds for the hospital’s official charity.

The 28-year-old administration clerk from Tile Cross has already raised over £6,000 and said: “Raising money for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity to help these injured soldiers is close to my heart. If I'm honest, if I hadn't been doing it for them, I probably would have delayed doing the marathon as I have had a bit of trouble with my feet and the training isn’t easy.

“Before I started the training I had never run further than 7 miles, never mind a full marathon! People usually do half marathons first and even train for that for a few months, but not me - straight in for the marathon. Some of the lads out here think I'm crazy doing it, but are all very supportive of me for the obvious reasons.”

Mike Hammond, Chief Executive of QEHB Charity, said: “We’d like to say a huge thank you to Siobhan, her colleagues, friends and family for raising so much in sponsorship. This fantastic donation will make a real difference to the lives of the military patients cared for here at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.”

To sponsor Siobhan, please visit her JustGiving page.

For more information about how you can support the military patients being treated at QEHB, please visit contact QEHB Charity on 0121 627 5753 or visit their website.