A Douglas woman is on her way to Peru to tackle what is billed as one of the world’s toughest tests, the 230km Amazonian Ultra Marathon.
Grecia Ballard, who has lived on the Isle of Man since 2009, will run through the Andes, cloud forests and the Amazon basin in aid of Hospice IOM.
Her husband Kevin said Grecia is “truly inspirational” tackling the challenge while looking to raise money for Hospice.
The race starts at more than 10,000ft in the Andes. Competitors will descend through freezing temperatures, dense jungle and sweltering heat with 100% humidity. They must wade through rivers and navigate thorny vegetation, venomous snakes, spiders, scorpions and bullet ants.
Originally from Mexico, Mrs Ballard became a Manx national after marrying Kevin. She previously ran marathons in Paris, Vienna and Tromso, raising money for the Isle of Man Breast Cancer Unit.
In 2024 she completed the Marathon des Sables, 220km across the Sahara in 45 degree heat and last year ran the Arctic Ultra at temperatures as low as -37 degrees.
The race starts on May 31 and lasts five days.
You can donate to Grecia’s efforts here.