A WOMAN with a heart condition has raised more than �5,000 for people with life-threatening illnesses after taking part in a marathon in Jamaica.

Lauren Browne, 29 from Romford has just completed the Reggae Marathon in aid of St Francis Hospice, battling swollen feet and muggy temperatures.

Lauren said: “My feet had swollen up so much because of the flight and the heat that my trainers felt really tight – I had to take them off for the final two miles.

“I literally ran straight into the sea and cooled off at the end, my medal was swinging around my neck and I was the happiest person in the world.”

Lauren was born with a condition called Pectus Excavatum, which means her lungs are unable to fully expand, restricting her oxygen intake.

When she began the race at 4.30am, temperatures were already at 24 degrees Celsius, rising up to the 30’s by the end of the course.

To help her heart cope Lauren uses a system of interval training, to teach her heart that it is getting a rest.

She said: “I’m happy to report that although I was dizzy throughout the pain had nothing to do with my chest.

“I had no cramping and that is definitely a first.”

Lauren lives with a dull ache in her chest every day, but refuses to let her condition stop her achieving her target of raising �50,000 for various charities linked with cancer.

Since a close family member died from cancer 10 years ago, she has completed the New York and London marathons, leaving doctors gobsmacked.

Lauren said: “I am so proud to say I ran a marathon for the hospice, it’s truly an inspirational charity and I want to thank them for looking after all the local people that they do.”