A TRIUMPHANT Sandhurst woman is over a third of the way through a 1,000-mile walking challenge.

Yvonne Cunningham has been conquering 10km strolls, half marathons and full marathons and has already walked more than 350 miles this year.

It is part of the Squirrel Close resident's epic commitment to walk 1,000 miles by the end of December - including training and event mileage - to mark her 50th birthday, which was in March.

She said: "I initially decided to sign up for the Three Land Challenge - moonwalks in London, Edinburgh and Ireland - but then decided to do a bit more and have one big year of doing events." Mrs Cunningham has been doing the London Moonwalk since 2006, having raised almost �7,000 for Walk The Walk, which gives grants to help research for breast cancer and support of sufferers.

"When I first entered the Moonwalk it was because it sounded fun, but was really about raising money for such a worthwhile cause at the same time," she explained.

"We all know people who have been affected by cancer and I have made some really good friends through my walking.

"Some of them are truly amazing people, many of whom have either lost close family or friends to breast cancer, or are survivors themselves. That's why we do it.

"Collecting all the medal bling this year is merely an added bonus!" Upon completion of the 1,000-mile challenge, Mrs Cunningham will be sent a medal marking her efforts.

She has already walked the Silverstone Half Marathon, the Edinburgh Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon, the Windsor 10km and this weekend will do the full London Moonwalk.

But it does not end there. Mrs Cunningham has a full calendar of nearly a dozen more walking events between now and October - including ones in New York, Iceland and Dublin - and is aiming to raise �1,000 for Walk The Walk this year. "My friends that don't walk think I'm bonkers," she said, having done a 'casual' 28-mile walk just last weekend. "But I know if I don't keep walking I won't make my target. That's part of what's keeping me going." To sponsor Mrs Cunningham, see www.walkthewalkfundraising.org/yvonne_cunningham_5