A retired nurse, who had been due to run the London Landmarks Half Marathon in March, has run 21 kilometres in her kitchen in Bolton as part of an alternative race set up because of the lockdown.

To complete the Local Landmarks Challenge Rona Ricioppo, 59, had to run 1,700 laps of the island in her kitchen which took her two hours and 35 minutes.

Instead of taking in the famous sights of London, Rona whizzed past her kitchen cupboards nearly 2,000 times. She was able to raise £300 for her chosen charity Bolton Hospice in the process.

Rona retired after working as a nurse for many years, however she has recently started working at a local pharmacy where she helps to deliver prescriptions since they have been overwhelmed by the lockdown.

Rona said: "I wanted to set myself a real challenge, and, as an NHS worker, highlight the importance of staying home.

"I started well but suffered from dizziness halfway; I kept changing direction to try and help, but had a fall at 12 miles, so the last mile was a struggle."

The London Landmarks Half Marathon was planned to take place on March 29 however the event was called off due to the coronavirus.

The race is organised by Tommy's, a charity funding research into the causes of miscarriages, stillbirths and premature births. They decided to launch an alternative race while they looked for an alternative date.

Runners can take on different versions of the race, any distance over five kilometres qualifies and it can be completed over multiple runs on multiple days, to ensure that people do not spend excessive time outside and maintain social distancing.

Lia Fyles, the race director, said: "We are so impressed by Rona's very Local Landmarks Challenge and hope she inspires many other runners to take to the streets - or kitchen tiles, as the case may be.

"In a time of great uncertainty and increased isolation, we want the Local Landmarks Challenge to give people a much-needed boost to physical and mental wellbeing, and help the community feel connected while we're not able to run together."

Anyone can take part in the Local Landmarks Challenge, to find out more visit www.llhm.co.uk/local-landmarks.