Mum-of-three Nichola Newton is preparing to take on the mammoth 85 mile Ridgeway Challenge on Saturday to raise funds for her children’s school, Cherhill Primary.

Mrs Newton, a keen member of the Calne Running Club, will be pushing herself to the limit with two fellow members.

They are Tony Nott, who took part in the run last year and will be attempting to beat his time of 21 hours, and Dave Telfer. He is new to the challenge but is no stranger to long-distance running.

Mrs Newton said: “We are all used to ultra-marathons – anything longer than a marathon – and only a few months ago we all ran a 43-mile ultra marathon. But this challenge is on a different scale.

“It is non-stop and runs through the night and we will have a support car that will meet us at certain checkpoints to give us food, drink and a change of clothes.”

The challenge starts at the top of Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire on Saturday and finishes in Avebury the next morning. Competitors will run along a 5,000-year-old track through the Chiltern Hills and North Wessex Downs.

“It is going to be tough and a true test as we will have to reach the checkpoints at a particular time or we could be disqualified,” Mrs Newton said.

“I am aiming to raise £350 to buy some PE kit for the school.”

Mrs Newton’s friends are helping to raise the money by entering a pool to guess how long she will take to complete the run.

The winner will get £20 and all other proceeds will go to Cherhill school.