Ultra running for charity: Everton fan Michelle Thomas took on a trail run to raise money for Liverpool supporter

Everton take on Liverpool in a hotly-anticipated Merseyside derby next week but a Toffees fan has run the extra mile - quite literally - to help out a Reds fan in need this month.

Michelle Thomas, an Evertonian, has completed a gruelling 76km long trail run in South Africa - plus a sky dive and bungee jump - to raise money for Liverpool supporter Charlie Rimmer, a 12-year-old girl suffering from a brain tumour.

The special immunotherapy treatment Charlie needs is not currently available on the NHS, so her family have set about attempting to raise the £50,000 needed for her to be treated in Germany.

Live Premier League

Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard is among the Merseyside footballers who have offered their support and it was a picture of Charlie and the former Reds captain which inspired Michelle to get involved.

"These links go round on Facebook, and all my friends were sharing this one," says Michelle. "Steven Gerrard had gone round Charlie's house a couple of weeks before Christmas and she's a massive Liverpool fan.

"I read her story and then randomly messaged her mum. I work with magazines and I said I'd see if I could spread the word. She messaged me back straight away. We got talking and I just felt like I needed to do something."

Sky dives and bungee jumps may be popular fund-raising events, but why did Michelle choose to do a 76km trail run?

"I work in marketing so knew I'd have to do something a little bit different to get the cause noticed - although I wasn't planning on doing anything as crazy as this," she explained.

"I was supposed to be going on holiday and I looked for any runs I could do, such as half-marathons. But then this run came up and I thought it was meant to be. Then I saw you could do the world's largest bungee jump and a sky dive in the area so I thought I'd throw them in as well!

"It was six weeks from when I signed up until the date of the run and although I do quite a bit of running where I live in Qatar, the landscape is very flat. So I went to speak to the guys at F45 and they helped me build up the strength in my legs. I'd do those sessions in the morning, go to work, come home and then go for a run. It was exhausting and I don't know how I did it.

Seeing the finish line at the end was the best feeling ever. I was so happy.

"Come race day, we set off at 5.30am and after the first 10km I thought 'how am I going to do this?' I knew it was a trail run but it was up cliffs and very hard.

"I got to 45km somehow and the next 5km was up hill. It was horrendous! But it wasn't until the final 9km that I thought I was stupid for doing it.

"It was dark by then and I was on my own. I'd missed a marker and didn't know where I was. There was no answer when I called the SOS number and I panicked. However, we had whistles with us and after I blew mine a fellow runner found me and helped me get to the finish.

"Seeing the finish line at the end was the best feeling ever. I was so happy."

It was a huge challenge. But Michelle says it was worth it to raise attention and funds for Charlie's cause.

Now, Liverpool and Everton have offered their support. If you'd like to find out more or make a donation, visit https://www.gofundme.com/lets-get-charlie-to-Germany