A STUNNING feat of endurance saw an Oxford University professor watch her nearest and dearest cross the finish line after a three-day cycle marathon.

Egyptologist Liz Frood, who suffered life-changing injuries after contracting sepsis last August, followed husband Christoph Bachhuber and the rest of the Dons of Oxford team from the support van as they took on a 165-mile cycle to Cardiff Bay in Wales in aid of the Sepsis Trust.

The group were able to smash their fundraising target of £5,000 for the charity and – for the first time in a year – were rewarded with a walk on the beach, hand in hand.

Dr Frood, who had both legs amputated in September 2015 and is still recovering the use of her hands, said: "I am exhilarated and I'm proud of what we have done.

"It's a tiny amount compared to the support we have had but it feels like the right thing to do."

The team set off from the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford after a champions' breakfast on Friday, September 9 and cycled through the Cotswolds, arriving in Gloucester late at night.

Over the course of Saturday they travelled from Gloucester to Newport, finally arriving in Cardiff Bay on the Sunday along with 50 other charity pedallers.

Mr Bachhuber, 41, whose sister Anika travelled from Boston to join the ride, said: "We had a wonderful send-off from the Ashmolean."

Family members including Dr Frood's cousin Jane and one-year-old son Emeran also came along for the ride.

Following her ordeal last year the researcher, who is mainly wheelchair-bound but has two prosthetic legs from the Oxford Centre For Enablement at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, was cheered by other survivors' stories posted on the Sepsis Trust's website and wanted to raise awareness of the illness.

Sepsis, also known as blood poisoning or septiceamia, affects 150,000 people in the UK every year resulting in 44,000 deaths.

Dr Frood said: "I met one other sepsis survivor, who cycled; it was very emotional meeting him. We both found it really hard but it was inspiring.

"I put on my legs and walked a bit along Cardiff Bay, which was the first time I have walked in them in a public space.

"Our team cycled because of me so the least I could do was get on my legs and give them a standing hug. To hold hands and walk together was powerful for our family.

"If just a couple of people have become aware of sepsis and recognise the illness, and get to hospital, it has been worthwhile."

Dr Ron Daniels BEM, chief executive of the UK Sepsis Trust, said: "It’s the extraordinary efforts of supporters like the Dons of Oxford that allow us to continue the fight against sepsis.

"We’re nothing without our volunteers, and we’d like to say a huge thank you. Together we can change the way sepsis is handled in the UK.”

Donations are still gratefully accepted. For more information visit justgiving.com/fundraising/Christoph-Bachhuber