Life’s a beach, they say, but things are about to get tougher for two students who are marking the end of university with a 5km obstacle course for charity.

Eloise Douglass from West Malling and fellow University of Kent graduate Laura Miucci – together with their friend Tia Bullen – will be wading through mud pits, scrambling under cargo nets and throwing themselves down mud slides in the Pretty Muddy Race for Life in Mote Park, Maidstone, on Sunday.

They will be among hundreds of other runners undertaking the course in aid of Cancer Research, and the cause is close to their hearts – Laura signed up for the challenge in support for her mum, who has incurable cancer but still lives life to the fullest, and following the death of her grandad.

Eloise will also be running in memory of her uncle Peter, who died from the disease, aged 57, almost five years ago.

Eloise said: “We’ve been training a lot since about February – going to the gym and practising 5k runs. It will be harder than a normal 5k run as it’s a muddy obstacle course, so we’ve been training outside and doing other gym training besides running.”

Donate via http://tinyurl.com/EloiseDouglass