Peterborough martial arts instructor completes incredible 20 hour marathon of kicking around her garden to support NHS

Atlanta Hickman, an instructor at Hicks Karate School, began the first of 6,027 laps in her Bretton garden at 5.30am on Easter Monday and only finished at 1am the following morning.

The 24-year-old completed an estimated 48,216 kicks during her remarkable feat of endurance which has so far raised more than £1,000 for NHS Charities Together.

And she was cheered all the way by her partner Aaron who not only filmed the marathon through Facebook Live - allowing friends to watch and send messages of support - but kept a running tally of the completed laps.

Atlanta said: “I’ve seen a lot of kickboxers have been running marathons in their gardens for the NHS. I liked the idea but wanted to do something a bit different. In my head I thought ‘I like kicking, so I’ll try to kick a marathon’. I’ve done a mile but never so long before.

“I measured out the garden and it was 6,027 laps. At the end I worked out how many kicks I’d approximately done and it was around eight kicks a lap.”

Atlanta allowed herself three toilet breaks during her marathon, as well a few short stoppages to stretch, but she combined her kicks with eating snacks and drinking water.

And she was so exhausted by the end that even four days later, when she spoke to the Peterborough Telegraph, she was still feeling the effects of her challenge.

“It got to about just after the 12th hour mark and it was causing me a lot of pain. The last hour and two hours I was really struggling - I didn’t know if I could carry on,” she said.

“My legs were heavy and I was struggling to get them off the floor. I was having to force them up.

“I kept saying ‘it’s worth it, keep going’.

“When I finished I was struggling to stand. Straight away I sat down and could not get up. My knees were swollen.

“The next day there was a lot of pain. I could not walk at all and I was in a lot of pain.

“I’m walking better now but there’s still a lot of pain in my legs and calves and my knees are stiff.”

As for why she put herself through so much pain, Atlanta explained: “The people in the NHS are working extra time at the minute.”

Atlanta’s colleagues at Hicks Karate School in Vicarage Farm Road, Fengate, were certainly impressed and told the PT: “As a school we are so proud of her and she’s a great model to our students who are now challenging themselves.

“And it shows the values of martial arts - fitness, strength, giving back, respect and kindness.”

To donate to NHS Charities Together through Atlanta’s fundraising page, visit: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/AtlantaHickman.