AN Oxfordshire teenager has completed the equivalent of five marathons in five days, raising more than £5,000 for a mental health charity.

Faringdon’s Kitty Dodd-Noble, 16, ran all the way from Oxford’s Port Meadow to Albert Bridge in London, along the Thames Path.

The St Edward’s School pupil, who says she still suffers from depression and an eating disorder, was raising awareness for the charity Young Minds.

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She said the ‘exhausting’ endurance challenge was ‘like playing a game with my mind’.

Her fundraising has topped £5,069.

Kitty explained: “My body was exhausted, my mind was exhausted and I quickly found myself revisiting memories and emotions that I hadn't experienced in a while, some rather dark and emotional which I found hard to come to terms with.

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“The biggest lesson I've learnt is that everyone is so much more capable of doing things they think are unachievable. And that if we put our minds to things, really anything is possible, including overcoming bad mental health.”

But, she said, the hardest part of the challenge was the mental battle, not the physical one, adding: “It was more like playing a game with my mind rather than keeping my body going.”

Kitty says her own personal story played a part in choosing Young Minds - the UK’s ‘leading charity fighting for children and young people's mental health’ - as her charity.

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She added: “I think it's easy for people to look at someone with a privileged background and assume their lives are perfect, however this is almost always not the case.

"I ended up being bullied (at an all girls boarding school) through social media and around school by the older girls. It had a huge affect on the way I viewed myself which led to the development of mental health issues such as depression and an eating disorder, which I still struggle with today.

The teenager continued: “I was unbelievably lucky not only to have the incredible support from my parents but also from professionals who have got me to where I am today.

"Young Minds not only offers help to the children themselves, but also to the parents.”

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Praising her ‘fantastic’ achievement, brother Harry, 33, said: “I’m really proud and impressed by the achievement – I am not sure any of us quite took it seriously when she suggested it but to see the determination and success is fantastic.

“Mental health issues are often things that people are afraid to talk about so anything to raise awareness and show others have been through similar issues is always welcome.”

But Kitty’s story is not the only endurance affair the family are undertaking this year.

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After six years of planning, two of Kitty’s four siblings, brothers Sam and Harry, and her Dad, Tom, will next month attempt a ten-day trek to the North Pole.

The trip will entail seven to ten hours walking per day in freezing temperatures of between -30 to -40 degrees.

To donate to Kitty’s fundraising page search her name at uk.virginmoneygiving.com/giving/