Fitness instructor braves ice and altitude for cancer research

KAREN Holness joined a tough two-week trek across the icy mountains of Peru to raise vital funds for cancer research.

The 28-year-old fitness instructor of Haydock Close, Chippenham, returned from her expedition last month and has raised more than £700 for the Imperial Cancer Research Fund.

During the trek, where she was one of a group of eight, she climbed to heights of 5,000 feet where oxygen levels were extremely low.

"It's quite hard on your heart and lungs at that height and we really needed the two rest days we had to get our breath back," she said.

Despite the hard work and sometimes uncomfortably cold conditions, Miss Holness said every moment of pain was worthwhile because of the beautiful sights she got to see.

She started her adventures in Lima, moving on by bus to Huraz where the group acclimatised by walking at a height of 3,500 feet for a day before embarking on the 100-mile expedition.

"Conditions were mostly cold. From mid afternoon we had to put as many as five layers on and we often woke to find snow and ice," she said.

"But I was lucky enough to see avalanches and some amazing views.

"Every time we climbed to the top of a hill there was an incentive just to turn round and see where we'd come from."

The nearest place for medical treatment was a two-day horse ride away and Miss Holness said it was lucky no-one suffered more than a headache during the fortnight.

She said one of her worst experiences was seeing one of the donkeys, who carried the trekkers' food and kit, fall down the side of a mountain.

"Amazingly it survived but it was pretty horrible," she said.

"Most of the time when you're walking there's a sheer drop just to the side of you. One day one of the girls tripped and that scared us for the rest of the trek really.

"But getting to one of the lakes where we were camping was always amazing because the water was so perfectly blue and really beautiful.

"We didn't bump into many local people at all, apart from the odd farmer, but when we passed through small villages the children would run up to try and get chocolate from us."

Miss Holness, who works part-time at Cirencester Sports Centre, raises money for breast cancer research twice a year by running 5km races.

She thanked her sponsors Audiosoft Ltd of Cirencester and Simplas Windows of Fairford, and Chippenham sports massage therapist Nigel Smith for his help prior to the trek.

Dawn Harrison of Imperial Cancer Research said: "Every penny raised will help our lifesaving programme of research."