Lord Wandsworth student becomes the youngest known woman to run the length of the UK.

Lord Wandsworth College student, Phoebe, has become the youngest known woman to run the length of the UK.


18-year-old Phoebe set off from John o’ Groats on Saturday, 20th June and arrived in Land’s End yesterday (Wednesday, 26th August), having taken 68 days to complete the journey, which totalled over 1000 miles.

'This experience has been such good fun,' remarked Phoebe, who also received her A-level results during the challenge and gained three As, securing a place to study medicine at university next month.

'I’ve loved being out in nature and experiencing all the different towns, landscapes and cultures along the way. It’s been amazing to see what I’m capable of by completing something that I’ve always dreamed of doing.'

Prior to Phoebe’s challenge, it’s understood that the youngest female to have run the length of Britain was Imogen Boddy, who completed the feat at the age of 22 in 2022. As with Imogen’s run, Phoebe’s achievement cannot be verified as an official Guinness World Record because of restrictions around age:

'For highly physical, endurance-based or journey records, Guinness World Records sets a minimum age of 16,' a spokesperson for Guinness World Records explained. 'As competition cannot be opened to anyone younger, Guinness World Records does not monitor a ‘youngest’ category for this challenge.'

Phoebe only took up running four years ago, after admitting that she previously hated sport. She began with a school fundraising run at LWC and hasn’t looked back. In2024, Phoebe received an Autism diagnosis and now confesses to finding therapy through her running.

During this summer’s challenge, she has been raising money for the National Autistic Society and the Lord Wandsworth Foundation, which supports children who have lost the support of a parent, primarily through bereavement. So far, she has raised over £4,000.

Phoebe’s dad, Chris, has been running the length of the UK alongside her, having made it his mission to spend time with the teenager before she starts university.

'This adventure has given me something incredibly special with Phoebe,' Chris explained. 'We've spent weeks together talking for hours, laughing, getting through difficult days and sharing experiences that neither of us will ever forget. With Phoebe about to head off to university and begin a completely new chapter of her life, I know I'll never get this particular period of her life back. When I called this adventure the gift of time before we started, I don't think I fully understood just how valuable that gift would be.'

Lord Wandsworth College Head, Adam Williams, reflected, 'Phoebe embodies everything that we encourage at LWC: character, mastery and a true sense of adventure. She’s been an inspiration to all of us at the college and we couldn’t be prouder of everything that both Phoebe and Chris have achieved.'



Phoebe will now begin preparing for life as a university student but does not plan to stop running anytime soon.

'In the future, I’d love to become a sports doctor and help other people discover what they can achieve through sport. This experience has shown me how much activity and adventure can give you and I’d love to help others discover that for themselves too.'

Phoebe’s fundraising page remains live and can be found at: https://superkind.org/fundraiser/running-from-john-o-groats-to-lands-end

August 2026