WHATEVER Alison Broughton choses to make her body deal with, she says it's nothing compared to what her mother is forced to endure.
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Mrs Broughton covered a gruelling 100 kilometre ultra-marathon on Sunday in conjunction with the Mother's Day Classic Fun Run held Lake Canobolas, which drew around 200 people, running a 2.5 kilmetre course around the lake.
The fun run is major fundraiser for breast cancer research and Mrs Broughton chose to go the extra distance, an amazing 97.5 kilometres, to raise money and shine a spotlight on the plight of women fighting the disease.
And she says she'd do it again if it gets her mother, Sue Coates, through her third battle with the disease.
"In a second I'd do it for mum," Mrs Broughton said.
"And to do it on Mother's Day, that was incredibly special."
Mrs Coates was given her first breast cancer diagnosis 18 years ago and Mrs Broughton, a mother of four, said raising money and awareness helped her come to terms with her mother's battle
"You kind of feel so, I don't know, helpless, when you're watching someone [you love go through this]. it was just something epic I could do to show support to both mum but also breast cancer research.
"Our dream is eradicate it and it's gone in the coming years. It's only through research that we're going to get that outcome."
Although the Mothers Day Classic was celebrating its 25th year, Sunday's lake event was only the second time it has been staged in Orange and organiser Sarah McIntosh, who as survived two bouts of breast cancer, said between $10,000 and $12,000 had been raised.
Ms McIntosh said some of the research was encouraging.
"I've had two bouts and I had chemo, but [now] instead of your whole body being poisoned it targets the actual cancer," she said.
Mrs Broughton's started the first lap of 41 around the Lake at about 5pm on Saturday and finished about 11am the following day. On lap five she said her knee gave out but it didn't stop her completing the task, although it took a little longer than expected at 18 hours.
"I did an Ironman ride last weekend up at Port Macquarie, a 90 kilometre ride and I got off the bike and my knee was cactus but it was fine within a night of sleeping and I woke up the next day and it was alright. So I thought oh yeah, it's just a cramp, it's all good.
"But it reared its head again."
She was also grateful for the support she received with good friend Fran Grady accompanying her the whole way while a roster of 40 runners organised by Orange Runners Club's Sue Betts meant she was never alone, even during the freezing hours of the night.
That included a group who drove up from Bathurst.
At last count Mrs Broughton had raised $3047.
Mrs Broughton is no stranger to covering the 100 kilometres having run three ultramarathons and a 100 mile event in New Zealand. Her next challenge will be the Ultra Trail 100 in the Blue Mountains in late October.
In the meantime, Mrs Broughton is on the organising committee of Orange's inaugural ultra distance event, the Lonely Mountain Ultra on October 15 and 16, to be staged on the slopes of Mount Canobolas.
And Ms McIntosh also confirmed she will run Orange's third Mother's Day Classic next May.
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