A STUDENT is planning to live up to her nickname of "the running girl" by jogging 200 miles in three weeks.

Twenty-one-year-old Teba Diatta is setting off on the gruelling marathon from York Minster to Westminster Abbey on Wednesday.

She hopes her feat will raise funds for children living in desperate conditions in the African country of Senegal.

Her Running for Life appeal is raising funds for Unicef, the United Nations Children's Fund, and for a school in Senegal.

With little business experience, she has single-handedly attracted attention and support from high-profile people.

Prince William and Prime Minister Tony Blair have sent messages of encouragement for Teba's mission, as have organisations including the Senegal Embassy and Land Rover.

Premier league football players, plus David Beckham, who recently left Manchester United for Real Madrid, have signed campaign photos of Teba with a Senegal flag to be auctioned at a later date to help raise funds.

Teba, who was born and grew up in York, is now a student at the city's university.

"I was one of the few black faces in York and when I finished my A-levels I felt drawn to the country where my father grew up," she said.

"I travelled to Senegal in my gap year, lived with long-lost relatives and taught in a local school.

"The contrast in living conditions and economic hardship that I saw in Senegal stunned me.

"I have been on a personal mission to raise awareness and funds for Senegal's impoverished children ever since."

It was during her time in Africa that she was given her nickname because of her habit of beginning each day with an early morning jog.

"The nickname stuck and now I hope to raise as much as I possibly can for the children like the ones I met in Senegal," she said.