95-mile run is more of a challenge for Rupert! (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

95-mile run is more of a challenge for Rupert!

COVERING 26 tough miles in the London Marathon inside a 14ft- long fish was clearly not much of a challenge for the intrepid Rupert Chesmore, of Winstone.

And so just to make life even more difficult, the 46-year-old runner recently jogged the entire length of the West Highland Way from just north of Glasgow to Fore William.

This difficult feat involved a distance 95 miles as well as 11,624 feet of climbing in the process.

A team of three women, fellow members of Cirencester Athle-tics Club, provided support for this arduous task.

Their tasks were divided with Clare James, 27, of Tetbury, responsible for map reading, Veronica Amago, 30, who now lives near Kilmarnock, doing the bulk of the driving and Liza Darroch, who works at Cirencester College, looking after clothes and equipment.

They left Kilmarnock at 11pm in order to be ready for the 2am start. From then on, it was a matter of replenishing Rupert's food and drink supplies at each check-point.

Rupert somehow managed without any sleep until he finished 29.5 hours later.

The support team snatched a couple of hours' shut-eye in between stages with Clare and Liza taking turns in accompanying him from mile 53 onwards.

In the end, Rupert, the proprietor of Cotswold Fish and Game, crossed the finishing line in 40th place from some 59 starters.

The winner, from Hungary, who completed the distance in a breathtaking 16 hours and 37 minutes, was only a dozen minutes outside the course record.

And the first women home was fourth overall in 19 hours and 29 minutes.