Entertainment

Charlie Webster completes race across Alps three years after critical illness

The former Sky Sports presenter said the experience had taught her to ‘learn, grow and become better’.
The former Sky Sports presenter said the experience had taught her to ‘learn, grow and become better’.

Sports presenter Charlie Webster has completed a gruelling mountain race, nearly three years after being placed in a medically induced coma.

The TV star, 36, covered more than 30 kilometres (18.6 miles) and climbed 7,200 feet during the race across the Alps in Mayrhofen, Austria, on Saturday.

She said doctors had warned her to step back from heavy exercise after becoming ill during the opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympics.

View this post on Instagram

I did it! Soooooooo chuffed! My first ever mountain race! Climbed 7200ft. 30.1k. Incredible to run in the Austrian Alps. It was brutal at points and my legs are shot. I’ve learnt that I’m much faster up hill than down 🤷‍♀️😂 I found the downhill tough, my legsssss were killing, it was so steep. My hands started swelling up after only an hour in, I had a mini oh crap moment started to worry but managed it and drank loads. Think it was kidneys. It was pretty humid. 2 years 10 months since coma on life support machine. Docs said I wouldn’t be able to do any of this, well they hadn’t met me before. It’s still a struggle both physically and mentally but learning more and more about myself as time goes on and where I can go in my life. Through horrific times we learn, grow and become better. Keep going, that’s the one thing you can and must do 💕

A post shared by Charlie Webster (@charliewebster) on

Webster contracted a rare form of malaria while in Rio after taking part in a 3,000-mile charity cycle ride to the Brazilian city.

Sharing a photo of her crossing the finish line, she said: “I did it! Soooooooo chuffed! My first ever mountain race! Climbed 7200ft. 30.1k. Incredible to run in the Austrian Alps.

“It was brutal at points and my legs are shot. I’ve learnt that I’m much faster up hill than down. I found the downhill tough, my legsssss were killing, it was so steep.

“My hands started swelling up after only an hour in, I had a mini oh crap moment started to worry but managed it and drank loads. Think it was kidneys.

“It was pretty humid. 2 years 10 months since coma on life support machine. Docs said I wouldn’t be able to do any of this, well they hadn’t met me before.

“It’s still a struggle both physically and mentally but learning more and more about myself as time goes on and where I can go in my life.

“Through horrific times we learn, grow and become better. Keep going, that’s the one thing you can and must do.”

In a second post she said she had been one of only six British people attempting the race, which was run by 500 this year.

In April she completed the London Marathon, running for the charity Malaria No More UK.

Webster, who previously worked for Sky Sports, has said she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder due to experiencing the horrors of her life-threatening illness.

Now an ambassador for Malaria No More UK, she said her research and campaigning have helped her come to terms with what happened to her.