Aberdeenshire runners officially recognised as Guinness World Record champions

An Aberdeenshire couple have officially been recognised as Guinness World Record holders after completing 106 marathons in 106 days.

Fay Cunningham, 35, and Emma Petrie, 26, crossed the finish line last month, setting a new Guinness World Record for the most consecutive marathons completed.

The duo from Aboyne started running marathons across Aberdeenshire in February to raise funds for charity.

Both Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association and Macmillan Cancer Support are set to benefit from £20,000 each.

Now, the pair have been officially recognised as holding the Guinness World Record.

Ms Cunningham said it was good to be verified and actually see the certificate in their hands.

She said: “We were buzzing, it was really cool.

“To be honest, 106 days, three and a half months, that’s such a long time and for the two of us to be able to get to the end is pretty awesome. We did say if one of us got injured or ill the other one would carry on to support them.

“But to be able to cross the finish line and do 106 together, and finish on a high – I think we could have carried on if we needed to or wanted to but we were good, feeling like we could run again the next day.”

The pair enjoyed a nice dinner and a bottle of champagne they were given for completing their marathons to celebrate being given the certificate.

They are planning a holiday in a few weeks to properly celebrate their achievement, and Ms Cunninham said she can’t wait.

‘You need a reason’

The women have raised £35,115 for their efforts so far and with an extra £6,000 in gift aid, they are pleased to give each charity £20k.

Ms Cunningham recently lost her father Alan to MND and Frontal Dementia, and Ms Petrie’s mum, Jan, died of cancer two years ago.

“I think you need a reason and a purpose,” she said. “Without that, it’s hard to get up in the morning.

“Because we watched two people – Emma’s mum and my dad – have the ability taken away from them or fighting so hard just to do day-to-day stuff, getting up and being able to run a marathon is quite a luxury really.

“We just kind of saw it as we were really lucky to have the opportunity and ability, so it definitely drove us on. It was nice to raise money for charities that really helped both our families out when we were having a really tough time.”

The runner is hopeful the money they have raised will be able to help many other families in the future.