A Bollington woman who has signed up for a 156-mile race across the Sahara Desert had to bring her training to a dramatic halt as she spotted a pigeon hanging upside down after getting tangled in a tree with a fishing line.

Caroline Constable was halfway through a 34-mile jaunt on Saturday when she noticed that the bird was precariously hanging out of a tree along the Macclesfield Canal near Daven Road, Congleton.

The 51-year-old, who was carrying a big backpack and a number of water bottles as part of her training, told Nub News that she was frantically pacing up and down the canal as she tried to call anyone who could help save the bird's life.

Caroline said: "I spent an hour trying to help, I couldn't get through to the RSPCA at first, so I tried calling the police, fire rescue and a number of tree surgeons.

"I couldn't have just moved on; the bird would have died a slow death and I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I knew I had done nothing."

Through perseverance, Caroline was able to speak to the RSPCA and using a specialist pole, an animal rescuer was able to cut the bird free and thankfully it flew off uninjured.

"When the RSPCA officer called me to say the bird was successfully freed, I was delighted, they managed to come out really quickly," Caroline said.

Caroline's 34-mile excursion on Saturday meant that she had completed a virtual, 1,021km across Tennessee race, averaging 12.5 miles a day across 51 days. The event was organised by the founder of the Barkley Marathons Lazarus Lake.

With the Marathon des Sables dubbed 'The Toughest Footrace on Earth' postponed in April due to Covid-19, Caroline has been trying to strike the balance of staying in optimum shape but not overtraining ahead of a potential September rescheduling.

Caroline, who is also the founder of the online running community, #247running, added: "I'm trying my best not to be over trained because I pushed myself hard to be ready for April. There is a fine line between trying to stay fit and not getting injured."

The marketing consultant has already completed the National Three Peaks and 14 marathons which include Amsterdam, Athens and Manchester, but she was under no illusion that the 156-mile race over six days across the Sahara Desert in Morocco would be her "biggest challenge yet".

"I'm quite stubborn and it's all about pushing yourself to the limit. It would be amazing to follow in the footsteps of such brilliant adventurers as Sir Ranulph Fiennes and James Cracknell," Caroline said.

However, Caroline is aware that the rescheduled event could be delayed further due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Caroline continued: "I hope it isn't delayed further but there's every possibility that could be the case, there's 1200 competitors coming all over the world to participate alongside 400 members of staff, we would be staying in a tent every day and on the move as a big group every night.

"A lot will depend on what Morocco's restrictions could well be with quarantine etc as the event gets closer."

Being a regular runner, Caroline doesn't normally ask for sponsorship, but with this being the biggest test to date, she wanted to use the Sahara as an opportunity to support other people who have challenges on a daily basis.

Caroline will be raising money for 'The Running Charity', a charity which believes that running is as good as for your mind as it is your body. The charity believes that running builds resilience, and they use this to improve the lives of 16-25 year olds who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

You can donate to 'The Running Charity' via Caroline's JustGiving page.