AN 18-year-old who is heading out to Nepal to help earthquake victims has run a city marathon to raise relief funds.

Tatjana Mount ran 500 miles in training and completed the Manchester marathon in four hours 30 minutes in hot and humid conditions.

The Abergavenny teen, who took her A-levels this year at Monmouth School for Girls, has raised more than £1,250 for Raleigh International Trust and will be taking part in its seven-week expedition to Nepal in March.

“It was a very warm day in Manchester – much hotter than I thought it would be – and I was just happy to finish the marathon,” she said.

“I had hoped to complete the run in less than four hours – but I had amazing support and it was brilliant to cross the finishing line in aid of a fantastic cause.

“My family has close links to the Gurkhas, with both my dad and grandfather serving in 10th Gurkha Rifles,” said Tatjana.

She is currently on a gap year ahead of taking up her place at UCL (University College London) to read a degree in Politics, Sociology and East European Studies with Russian.

During the seven-week expedition to Nepal, Tatjana and her team will be constructing water sanitation points in Gorkha, a region hit particularly badly in the 2015 earthquake.

She said: “As one of the world’s poorest countries, the impact of that Nepal earthquake is still felt keenly throughout the largely rural population today, with access to clean and reliable water a rarity.”

To support Tatjana’s fundraising efforts, visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/tats-mount1