A WOMAN who lost four and a half stones will be taking her new lifestyle to the next step tomorrow when she competes in the Newport half marathon.

Kim Rees, who will turn 37 on the day of the race, will be among 1,000 people taking on the challenge and will be joined by friend Becky Carless, 34.

The pair, both of Newport, will be running in memory of Miss Carless' mum Patricia Carless who died from breast cancer when Miss Carless was just nine years old.

For Ms Rees, the 13.1 mile challenge will be part of her weight-loss journey which started in January 2010 when she joined the Lighter Life programme.

Starting off at 15 st 8lbs, within five months she reached the weight of 11 st 1lb.

Although she put a stone back on, she has now lost some weight again and is at 11 st 4lb, a weight she is now happy with.

Ms Rees said: "The hard part is keeping the weight off. I do regular exercise but last year felt like I needed a challenge which is when I read about the Newport half marathon in the Argus. As it was the day of my birthday, the decision was made"

After Ms Carless supported Ms Rees during her weight loss, she was the perfect race partner.

Ms Rees said: "We know Becky's mum will be looking down on us, willing us on every step."

The pair have raised around £1,000 for St David's Hospice Care.

To see where you can watch the race, go to our Newport half-marathon blog. To join in with our live blog on the day tweet with the #newporthalf

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