AFTER months of preparation, Heywood’s Nicola Handreck has completed the Melbourne Marathon in memory of much-loved South West resident Narla Saunders.

Narla passed away earlier this year after a lengthy battle with breast cancer and in her memory, Ms Handreck decided to run the marathon while raising money for the Breast Cancer Foundation in addition to Narla’s children Maya and Jed.

“Narla was a best friend to my mum but also a friend to me,” she said.

“Her passing has been incredibly hard on us all, but it hasn’t hit anyone harder than Maya and Jed.

“I really wanted to do something to honour her but also support them so that’s where the idea came from.”

Ms Handreck kicked off her training earlier in the year to prepare for the marathon’s original date in October.

Gearing up for a half-marathon, she decided she would instead tackle the full course after the date was delayed to December 12.

After months of training, Ms Handreck finished the mammoth 42.2km run in just over four and a half hours.

“I didn’t have a time goal I wanted to finish it in, I just knew I wanted to finish,” she said.

“I thought four and a half hours would be a good time and I think I finished two minutes over that so overall I’m very happy with the outcome.”

With her family and Maya and Jed cheering her on throughout the day, Ms Handreck said her finals steps across the finish line were overwhelming.

“It was a very emotional moment to cross the finish line and see them all waiting for me,” she said.

“Throughout the race it would hit me what I was doing and why I was doing it – it was a really emotional experience for me.

“Having their support throughout the training and then on the day was something I cannot thank them enough for.

“Also I’d like to thank my long-running training partners Brandon Watkins and Rod Gray I couldn’t have done it without them.”

Through the effort, Ms Handreck aimed to raise at least $5000 for her cause, but due to overwhelming community support, managed to more than double her target.

“I’ve raised just over $10,000 which is just mind blowing,” she said.

“Being able to not only support the Breast Cancer Foundation but also Maya and Jed is a blessing.”

Looking to the future, Ms Handreck said she wouldn’t rule out completing another marathon, but would give her body a bit of break for the time being.