GP wins 268-mile endurance race along Pennine Way

An endurance runner who won a 268-mile (431km) race along the Pennine Way said "sheer bloody mindedness" had got her to the finish.

Jenny Hartley, a GP from Shropshire, completed the Montane Summer Spine in less than four-and-a-half days despite never having run further than 78 miles (126km) before.

The course through northern England to the Scottish Borders took her through the Peak District, Yorkshire Dales, Northumberland National Park, Hadrian's Wall and the Cheviots and attracted more than 700 runners from around the world.

The former soldier, who only signed up four weeks before the race, said she was not expecting to win, adding: "I just wanted to get to the finish."

Hartley said she was proud of her achievement in the non-stop race, in which competitors have to be self sufficient, and she had not really known what to expect.

Throughout the run, the GP went through her "toddler checklist of basics" to make sure she ate, slept and drank enough.

The Montane Summer Spine started on at 08:00 BST on 14 June in Derbyshire and Hartley finished at Kirk Yetholm, in the Scottish Borders.

She crossed the finish line at 16:55 on Thursday.

Organisers describe the race as "brutal" and said runners could expect "exposed moorlands, dry, cracked paths and unpredictable storms".

They said the competitors faced more than 10km of ascent "and the mental challenge of enduring hundreds of miles without a proper rest".

Runners are supported by safety teams and volunteers, but told to expect "long daylight hours, high temperatures and little chance to rest" and have to carry all their kit with them.

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