When Tina Page attempted the National Three Peaks Challenge, she didn “t just climb the highest mountain in England, Scotland and W ales – she r an betw een them too The equiv alent of 19 mar athons in 19 da ys

INSPIRATION

Three years ago I was a 40-something, cake-eating non-runner touring the Alps in my campervan, when I witnessed something called an ultramarathon”, says Tina Page, 46, from Blackpool. “I knew nothing about the sport but was blown away by these hardcore runners accomplishing incredible feats I barely believed possible.”

“Naturally I wanted to have a go, but there was just one problem: these guys were running 100 miles in the mountains and I”d never even run for a bus! So I ditched my ice-cream, donned my trainers and hit the trails.

“After a very steep learning curve, and in an inadvisably short space of time, I”d built up to completing short ultramarathons of between 50K and 85K, albeit as a back-of-the-packer.

“Always on the lookout for outdoorsy adventures, I decided to tackle the National Three Peaks Challenge, which involves climbing the highest mountain in England, Scotland and Wales. But I thought I”d add a bit of a twist. Most people who attempt this challenge jump in a car or warm minibus to travel between the peaks. But I decided to run the entire distance solo and unsupported on an epic 500-mile trail run.