Over 400 people took part in a cycle and walk around Ferry Meadows in Peterborough on Sunday (30 September) to aid the Papworth Hospital Charity.
The seventh annual World Heart Day took place on Sunday to raise funds for the hospital charity.
Over 400 people journey from all over the country travlled to the event, with many having personal reasons for supporting the charity.
Participants had a choice either cycling or working around the venue.
They could either complete a one and a half mile, four and a half mile or nine mile route.
Many people lined the walkways of the park to cheer on the participants as they made their way around the course.
Clare Braybrook took part just months after needing open heart surgery and an emergency caesarean to save her baby Emily, during which she came close to death.
Ms Braybrook (33), a PE teacher from Werrington, was on a school sports trip when she was struck down by “unbearable pain” while 31 weeks pregnant in January.
She was taken to Papworth Hospital for life-saving surgery and a maternity team from Addenbrooke’s was dispatched to carry out the caesarean, which was only the third birth to take place at Papworth in the past 20 years.
She needed the emergency surgery to repair a tear in the wall of her aorta, which is the body’s main artery.
Ms Braybrook, who teaches at St Ivo School in St Ives, and nine-month-old Emily are now in good health – and both took part in the event to say thank you to the medical teams.
Speaking afterwards, Ms Braybrook said: “It was a fantastic feeling to take part and cross the finish line.
“I have been given a second chance at life thanks to the team at Papworth, if it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be here.
“That really drove me on to take part, I wanted to give something back to the people who saved my life.
“I ran round and Emily was pushed around in her buggy. She seemed to being enjoying herself.
“So far I’ve raised up to £1,700 and hopefully there’s even more still to come in.”
A spokeswoman for the Papworth Hospital Charity said: “We’ve had a fantastic turnout once again, with just over 400 people taking part.
“There are people here who have travelled from places like Devon, Ross-on-Wye and Southampton to come and support us.
“The oldest person taking part was 86 and we’ve also had a number of babies being pushed around in push chairs.
“We are aiming to raise £75,000 to purchase a brand new Cardio Pulmonary Bypass machine with the money raised.
“This vital piece of equipment literally becomes the heart and lungs of the almost 2,000 patients who are operated on at Papworth each year.”
Find out more about World Heart Day 2012 and the Papworth Hospital Charity
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