WOKING mums Dora Szentivanyi and Emese Flick are tackling the fiercely demanding Spartan Race at Bagshot on Sunday to raise money for the post-natal depression charity, Pandas.

Dora is the driving force behind FunMumsFitness, a workout group built around children.  “When I had my first child I wanted to get fit again, but it was hard to do exercises on my own with my young son to look after.

“That’s why I started FunMumsFitness about 18 months ago. We provide lots of toys, soft play and changing facilities, a safe environment for young children, so mums could exercise.

 “More than that, though, it’s creating a social atmosphere for mothers. I always say that motherhood is rewarding, motherhood is the best thing in the world, but motherhood is hard and challenging too.

 “It’s very easy for new mothers to feel lonely and isolated, and we want to offer them the chance to meet up and have a chat over a coffee."

Dora, who now has two children, aged four and two, and Emese, who has a one-year-old daughter, can look forward to a thoroughly demanding test in the Spartan Race on 6 October.

“We’re going for the 5K race, which has things like monkey bars, ropes, pulling things, throwing things, diving in the mud and apparently even jumping over fire.

“The aim is to get round in about an hour and a half, but I haven’t done one of these before so I don’t really know.”

Then, a hint of caution in her voice, Dora added: “I’ve heard Spartan is a global leader in obstacle-course racing for a reason…”

For the full story get the 3 October edition of the News & Mail