An Oxford rower is changing tack by running one of the toughest marathon courses in the country.

Imogen Simpson-Mowday, a research assistant at the Pitt Rivers Museum, is taking part in the Snowdonia Marathon to raise money for patients with life-limiting illnesses in Oxfordshire.

The 30-year-old from Iffley has never run a marathon, but she is no stranger to extreme challenges.

In May, she was part of a team forced to abandon a 90-mile race across the Irish Sea in a Celtic longboat, after stormy weather made it impossible to continue.

Half the team got violently seasick — not including her — and the skipper of the safety boat called a halt.

Ms Simpson-Mowday, a member of Oxford Rowing Club, said she had been training hard for her new challenge in Devon and Wales and by running up Morrell Avenue and Headington Hill three times a week.

She said: "I'm nervous and excited — it's going to be gruelling, but I'm going to finish — no matter what.

"I have always wanted to take part in the Snowdonia Marathon, because it's where I grew up.

"I would like to finish in under four-and-a-half hours — but it depends how much my hips and legs start hurting.

"I ran 20 miles on the flat on Sunday, but 20 miles on the flat is easy compared to mountains."

Ms Simpson-Mowday, who tackles the marathon on Saturday, is hoping to raise £500 for Sobell House hospice, at the Churchill Hospital in Headington, where patients receive free medical treatment and therapy, as well as community nursing and bereavement coun- selling.

It needs to raise £3m a year to cover its running costs.

Ms Simpson-Mowday said several family members had suffered from cancer in the past, so she appreciated the work hospices provided in communities.

She said: "I think hospices do a really good job.

"I hope I can help make lots of people's lives more comfortable."

Friends and family have already helped her raise nearly £200.

To sponsor her, see justgiving.com/imogensimpsonmowday