THE joint chairman of Lymm Runners is celebrating completing a monster running challenge which took an astonishing 49 hours.

Tim Martland spent last weekend taking part in the 108-mile Montane Spine Challenger Ultra Race – known as Britain's second most brutal.

It took him 49 hours and 51 minutes from Saturday to Monday.

This race runs along the Pennine Way from Edale north to Hardraw and has a 60-hour time limit.

Tim said: "The Spine Challenger race is incredibly tough.

"The Pennine Way is muddy, wet, slippery and rough at the best of times.

"The heavy rain and snow through Sunday night flooded large sections and made the going so slow.

"Add to that the cold and wind and fog and it was impossible to keep dry and hard to stay warm. I was on my own for most of the race and navigation while tired was hard.

"I struggled to find the path up Pen y Ghent in fog. Teaming up with two others for the final hours really helped.

"The two points I underestimated beforehand though were the weight of my pack (10kg or so – no support allowed and only 1 checkpoint) as you’re carrying a lot of kit and all your food/drink and second, the amount of darkness.

"For 15 hours a day it’s dark with lower speeds and harder navigation. Mentally it’s so hard to keep going. The visual (and some auditory) hallucinations were really spectacular on night two. So pleased to have finished. It is Britain’s most brutal race."

A spokesman for Lymm Runners said: "Like many other clubs, members of Lymm Runners are increasingly participating in a range of Ultra races.

"An Ultra is any race longer than the classic marathon of 26.2 miles. Not all are as extreme as the Spine race, plenty are between 30- 50 miles and take place along tracks and trails, often in very beautiful and dramatic terrain.

"What’s more, although you do need to prepare, train hard and be fit to tackle one, you don’t have to be superhuman, just tenacious – there are many mums, dads and grandparents taking part to experience the mental and physical challenge of running in natural surroundings and in all weathers – and meeting some great people along the way."