A brave Bath woman who suffered a brain haemorrhage five years ago will take part in the Vitality Bath Half Marathon next March.
Sonia Beaverstock suffered a brain haemorrhage while out running with her training partner Tina and their husbands in 2009. The 49-year-old spent two weeks in Frenchay hospital following the incident.
After getting the all-clear from doctors five months later Sonia put her running shoes back on.
"It was like starting from scratch all over again," she said. "But for me it proved I was on the road to full recovery."
Sonia took part in the Bath Half in 2014, raising £1,500 for the Dorothy House Hospice that cared for her mother before she died. "They gave her the respect she so deserved in her last few months," Sonia said.
She hopes to raise even more in 2015 and beat her previous finish time of 2 hours and 39 minutes.
Sonia sees running as her way back to normality. "I am really lucky to be alive, the haemorrhage I suffered was life threatening and many people have died from similar situations, but I didn't and I was determined that I would get on with my life" she said.
Last year's Bath Half raised more than £2 million for local and national charities.