Woman set outs to do 12 marathons in 12 months to raise money for Myanmar

Avid runner Sarah Easton works for a hospitality company based in Myanmar. She has been living there for two and a half years.

The 30-year-old has witnessed the ongoing conflict in the country and the increasing humanitarian crisis.

To raise as much money as possible for the hundreds of thousands of displaced people in camps in Kachin, Shan, Kayin and Rakhine states, Sarah decided to run 12 marathons in 12 months.

And showing shes a woman of her word, she has already run eight of them.

Sarah spoke to Metro.co.uk about her experiences.

Whilst travelling around Myanmar three and a half years ago with my partner, I got a job offer from an international restaurant group so we decided to continue our adventure and move there, she told Metro.co.uk.

I really wanted to raise a significant amount of money for the current conflict in Myanmar and felt that running one marathon wouldnt be enough of an effort.

In Rakhine, the provision of aid has been severely interrupted by the violence in late 2017. Nearly 700,000 people have fled Myanmars Rakhine state into Bangladesh following fighting in the area with widespread violence, death and destruction having been reported in the news.

This cause is very personal to me because I am a foreigner but I have lived in Myanmar for over three years and I have been made to feel so welcome by everyone here.

I will be running a total of 312 miles.The people who have been displaced by conflict have had to walk much further. Running 12 marathons within Myanmar wasnt possible and so running 12 marathons in 12 countries seemed like the next logical step.

Its heartbreaking and unbelievable that these atrocities happen in the same state as the beautiful beach resorts for holidaymakers. By taking myself out of my comfort zone I hope I can highlight this issue and make it relatable for others both inside and outside of the country.

Sarah has already completed eight marathons this year with a personal best time of 3:22. She said the highlights were finishing as the first female runner on the Great Wall of China (after navigating over 20,000 steps) and crossing the finish line minutes before twelve oclock in the Midnight Sun Marathon in Norway.

She is currently travelling to run her ninth marathon on a mountain trail run in the north of Vietnam. Sarahs final marathons this year will take her to Hong Kong, Penang, and Singapore.

Sarah came in third during the fifth Khmer Empire Marathon in Cambodia (Picture: Sarah Easton)

Sarah is raising money for the Centre for Social Integrity and Community Partners International – a group of organisations working in both remote areas of Myanmar and the refugee camps in Bangladesh.

Any money raised go towards improving the health and wellbeing of vulnerable populations in conflict-affected, hard-to-reach and underserved communities.

All marathon expenses are self-funded and both organisations have low overhead costs meaning all donors can be confident that their donation is reaching those who need it most.

Sarah ran through all 20,000 steps of the Great Wall of China (Picture: Sarah Easton)

Sarah is still living in Myanmar and encourages people to visit.

Its still relatively easy and rewarding to travel to and within Myanmar. We have had friends and family visit over the last three years, she said.

More: Travel

The tourism industry is taking a financial hit due to the negative international media coverage of the country. Traditional tourist areas are separate from the areas of conflict at the borders of the country.

The best time to visit is between November and February to avoid the six month monsoon and hot season.

You can donate to Sarahs campaign here.

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