Sophie Collett

My niece Sophie suffered from osteomylities when she was a child. She endured months of pain, but was cured. She is now 27, and, with no personal trainer, has pushed herself to the limits, to run in 6 ultra marathons across the world, and has raised thousands of pounds for charity. She works as a physiotherapist in Bristol, and all her patients adore her. She specialises in intensive care. She first completed the Marathon des Sables in 2008. Despite being only 5ft3', she completed the race, (and beating a lot of the men!)gaining a very good position amongst the women. Since then she has completed the Brazil Jungle Marathon, the Gobi March, the Yukon Arctic Ultra 300, the Oner, the Thames Meander and the Jurassic Coastal Challenge, and finally in March 2011, The Atacama Crossing in Chile. Despite having to be hospitalised on her return because of severely infected feet, she was determined to finish this race in order to achieve her goal of £8,000 for Help the Heroes. This she did - and was 4th out of all the women. She was a hero, and an amazing girl. She also raised £12,000 for the charity 'Facing Africa' in 2008. She has guts and determination and has helped people both by her amazing fundraising, but also with the work she does on a daily basis. I know an opportunity to carry the Olympic Torch would be her proudest moment, and she deserves it. She is a great example to young people, and is definitely an unsung hero. I do hope you will consider her.