Hartpury to run half-marathon with a quad in memory of rower Amelie
Hartpury College BC students are set to run around the National Water Sports Centre to raise money in memory of their teammate Amelie Zeal, who sadly passed away earlier this year
On 13 December, students at Hartpury College will run a half-marathon around the National Water Sports Centre while carrying a rigged Quadruple Scull. The run has been organised to celebrate the life of Amelie Zeal, who sadly died earlier this year after being diagnosed with a brain tumour.
Amelie won bronze in the Year 10 Girls 5 minute row at the British Rowing Indoor Championships 2024
They are aiming to raise funds and awareness for the charities Abbie’s Army and Acorns Children’s Hospice, both of which supported Amelie and her family.
Speaking ahead of their mammoth task, Amelie’s teammate Phoebe Leibbrandt was hoping the half-marathon would be a fitting way to remember her.
“We thought we’d do something out there to get attention and raise awareness of the cause. It’s a big issue, and we want to raise money for that. There will be around 40 of us all running the half-marathon. We’re all going to run alongside, and then take turns holding the quad along the way,” said Phoebe.
“I think it’s going to be really hard, and I think everyone is going to be exhausted by the end of it. At the end of the day, we’re doing it as a team, and it’s about having fun. We are there for each other. We’re hoping to raise lots of money for the charities so they have enough money to support all the people in Amelie’s situation and their families as well, to make them feel supported.
“It is an open half-marathon, so there will be other people taking part. It’s in Nottingham this weekend at the National Water Sports Centre. If you want to come and watch or support, we’d be delighted to have you along!”
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Karrie Spencer is one of the coaches at Hartpury University and College BC. Along with her fellow coaches, she came up with the half marathon idea.
“We decided to do the half-marathon with the rigged quad to display the determination that Amelie gave. Every training session she was giving 110%, so we thought doing as challenging as this would be a good way to keep her memory within the boat club,” explained Karrie.
“As coaches, we gave them the idea, and they seemed very keen to do it. We had a trial run last week with the boat, and it’s pretty hard; there’s no beating around the bush. Hopefully, we’re raising awareness and keeping her memory alive in the club.”
In March of this year, Amelie was diagnosed with a brain tumour in her brain stem. Her symptoms began last December when she started to experience double vision and fatigue, but otherwise, there were no signs of anything untoward. This type of tumour currently has no treatment options, and in July of this year, Amelie died, just four months after her diagnosis, aged 15 years old.
Amelie loved life. She was a keen athlete and loved rowing, skateboarding, surfing and football, as well as singing and music. She rowed with Gloucester RC and Hartpury University and College BC.
In recent years, Amelie had been a force to be reckoned with at indoor rowing events. In 2020, she won the Gloucester Primary Schools Indoor Rowing Championships, a feat she repeated 12 months later. In 2021 she won gold in the Welsh Indoor Rowing Championships.
2023 saw her take silver in the Year 9 Girls 500m at the British Rowing Indoor Championships, and one year later, she took bronze in the Year 10 Girls 5 minute, despite feeling unwell.
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When Amelie was poorly, she said to her mum, “When I’m better, we should walk from John O’ Groats to Land’s End as it looks really fun.” So, in August of this year, one week after her funeral, her family, along with their dog, set off from John O’Groats to honour Amelie and to fundraise for brain cancer research and outstanding end-of-life hospice care for children – the same charities that Hartpury are raising money for on their run.
As of 4 December 2025 the family had reached the South West portion of their journey down the country. Amelie’s parents Tara and Matt have been alternating the walk to ensure that their daughter Sophia can remain in school – walking together as a family whenever possible.
Every year in the UK, around 40 children are diagnosed with the same cancer as Amelie, a Diffuse Midline Glioma (DMG), with no cure and very limited treatment options. Urgent cutting-edge research is needed to develop new treatments so that no other children have to endure what Amelie did.
If you would like to support Hartpury University and College BC in the fundraising you can visit their JustGiving page.
