Running a marathon is tough enough.

But doing it in on ice, in temperatures of minus 40 degrees Centigrade, with the threat of being chased by polar bears, lends new meaning to the word ‘challenge;.

McDonalds boss Kate Walker, from East Kilbride, was the only Scottish runner and one of just 17 women to complete the North Pole Marathon recently, banking more than £8000 for Ronald McDonald House.

The charity provides free ‘home away from home’ accommodation for families with children being treated in hospital.

Kate, who owns six restaurants in and around Glasgow, said: “While many may think that I signed up to do the marathon in a moment of madness, the real and serious reason is that I feel passionately about Ronald McDonald House.

“The North Pole Marathon is definitely my biggest challenge yet, having previously climbed Mont Blanc and Kilimanjaro.

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“It certainly was freezing, but I know that hospitals can be really cold places for children without their families close by so want to do everything I can to support this worthy cause.

“I have challenged my teams to collectively raise more than £50,000 for the charity this year and will be organising a number of fundraising initiatives throughout the year which we hope the local community will help support.”

Despite never having run a marathon before, Kate completed the harsh course in just nine hours and 11 minutes.

“We had to overcome a series of challenges from the moment our journey began,” she said.

“We had to travel to Svalbard, the northern most island in Norway, to travel on a Russian military plane to the North Pole.

“But the North Pole runway, which needs to be constantly rebuilt on stable ice flows for the plane to land, cracked several times, causing a series of delays to our journey.

“We eventually made it to the North Pole three days later than expected, and then we were delayed a further four days due to inclement weather.”

Jon Haward, Director of Ronald McDonald House Charities, said: “Kate’s commitment and support of our charity is truly astounding.

“She will be helping us to support hundreds of families each year in our new Ronald McDonald House in Edinburgh which is set to open next year.

"Although we are an independent charity, we are very proud of the massive support we receive from McDonald’s, their franchisees and suppliers and we rely heavily on generous fundraising endeavours like this one.”

There are currently 14 Ronald McDonald Houses across the UK and in 2015, they helped around 7000 families stay close to their children in hospital.

To support Kate’s cause, visit her Just Giving page at www.justgiving.com/teamsummit-247