A 56-YEAR-OLD council worker who trains with the Bracknell Forest Runners has found a novel way of beating her asthma - she runs in major events.

This Saturday Karen Ward took part in the Boudavida Women's 10k Windsor run starting on the Long Walk at Windsor Great Park.

Karen, who lives in Ascot, has only recently been diagnosed after finding it difficult to exercise over the last two decades.

She said: “I have been looking for my inner athlete for many years, however it has remained stubbornly hidden. Now I’m closer to 60 than 50 – I am determined to prove myself. After my diagnosis, I was given an inhaler and a whole new world has opened up to me.

"It’s been a revelation. Suddenly I can’t blame being out of breath for not being able to achieve.”

This year Karen signed up to run her first half marathon in over 15 years, completing the Bracknell Half despite suffering from what she calls an ‘asthma moment’ at the finish. Since this, Karen has also applied to and been accepted to run the London Marathon 2017 on behalf of Asthma UK. She and her friend, Charlotte want to raise £3600 for the charity, with Karen recently taking part in a bungee jump to help with fundraising.

She said: “I’ve never been a natural runner. But over the past 18 months I been able to complete the Couch to 5k initiative, the 5k to 10k programme and have also really enjoyed taking part in a number of different runs across the county. I now train with the Bracknell Forest Runners and am embarking on a number of different fundraising challenges to help me reach my goal for London 2017.

"Running the Boudavida Women’s 10k Windsor will definitely help me in my journey."

The Boudavida Women’s 10k Windsor is run in the picturesque grounds of Windsor Great Park on closed roads.

Karen joined more than 1,000 runners along the iconic Long Walk towards Windsor Castle.

The 10k is part of the Windsor Running Festival, which also includes the sold-out Windsor Half Marathon on Sunday.