Running a marathon is something for the bucket list. But running more than one marathon is usually filed in the drawer marked 'never again'.

Eastern Daily Press: Melanie Sturman has completed 250 marathons. Picture: Sonya DuncanMelanie Sturman has completed 250 marathons. Picture: Sonya Duncan (Image: Archant 2017)

So put your hands together for Melanie Sturman, who just keeps going back for more.

The Thetford runner will today line up in Kingston, Surrent for her 250th marathon, having taken up the sport after turning 40.

In eight years she has run 6,910 miles - the distance from Norwich to Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina.

Ms Sturman. 48, from Rowan Close, took on her first race back in 2011 at the London Marathon. She said: "I found the first one tough because when you start running, or prepare for your first marathon, you start getting pains and illnesses so I didn't do that well.

Eastern Daily Press: Melanie Sturman has completed 250 marathons. Picture: Sonya DuncanMelanie Sturman has completed 250 marathons. Picture: Sonya Duncan (Image: ARCHANT EASTERN DAILY PRESS (01603) 772434)

"A couple days before I took part I was full of the fever but I had already raised more than £3,500 so I knew I had to soldier on. I decided to have another go at a different marathon the following year and have been improving my times ever since."

The clinical nurse was able to help save a life during one marathon.

She said: "I remember during my 90th marathon in Portsmouth, December 2014, stopping midway and actually helping a man that was having a heart attack.

"We were at mile 11 and my friend said he was having chest pains that's when it happened, he had a heart attack.

Eastern Daily Press: Melanie Sturman has completed 250 marathons. Picture: Sonya DuncanMelanie Sturman has completed 250 marathons. Picture: Sonya Duncan (Image: ARCHANT EASTERN DAILY PRESS (01603) 772434)

"He survived and he said 'go and finish the race for me', but I stayed with him for an hour."

Ms Sturman has travelled far and wide to take part in races, from the rain-sodden streets of Stevenage to Disneyland Florida and Snowdonia.

She added: "You get to travel all over the world as well. I have travelled to Majorca, Chicago, Disney Florida, Paris and Berlin and you get to meet some amazing people along the way.

"On average I do a marathon a week so I am running about 40 miles every week. I go to marathons all over the place and there are running sites you can go on that show when the next one is."

Eastern Daily Press: Melanie Sturman has completed 250 marathons. Picture: Sonya DuncanMelanie Sturman has completed 250 marathons. Picture: Sonya Duncan (Image: ARCHANT EASTERN DAILY PRESS (01603) 772434)

She added: "If I had to pick a favourite, London has to be at the top because it is the capital. But for fun factor would be Walt Disney, Florida, that was crazy, you get to run around the Magic Kingdom and have selfies with Micky Mouse and just get to be a big child."

Eastern Daily Press: Melanie Sturman has completed 250 marathons. Picture: Sonya DuncanMelanie Sturman has completed 250 marathons. Picture: Sonya Duncan (Image: Archant 2017)