A RUNNER from Penarth is hoping to help break three world records as she takes part in The Great British Relay along with thousands of others from across the UK.

Erika Fitzgibbon along with other members of Women Running Penarth will run a local leg of the more than 7000km which takes in 600 stages nationwide.

The event will take place in June and will involve three world record attempts.

These include the longest continuous running event, the longest distance hand delivered message and the longest ever game of Chinese whispers.

Runners will make their way around the UK mainland’s coastline and the secret message will be sealed in a specially designed lightweight baton before being read at the end of the journey.

Also hidden away in the GBR’s baton will be the starting phrase in what is hoped will be the world’s longest ever game of Chinese whispers.

As each runner passes on the tracker and baton they will also whisper the phrase to the next participant.

Each runner will carry a specially designed GPS tracker to monitor their progress for 24 hours a day.

Mrs Fitzgibbon will cover the Rhoose to Sully leg of the relay on June 18.

She said: “We are lucky. Some people had to book time off work to run their stage or will be running through the night, but we have a Saturday slot, starting at 12.16pm.

"Women Running Penarth is five years old this year and I'm really looking forward to running the 11 miles with other members of Women Running Penarth to mark our anniversary.

"The prospect that runners all over the country will be relying on us to do our bit and watching us via the live tracking map online is a bit daunting”

"I feel a bit like a spy carrying the secret message in the baton and I can’t wait to hear the message at the end as well as finding out what the original Chinese whisper was and what it has changed into."

Women Running Penarth will also use the relay as an opportunity to boost their fundraising for Breast Cancer Now.

Free entry is available by ballot. For more information, or to find out what stages are still available locally, visit the event's website at www.gbrelay.com