Yorkshire runner breaks 45-year Three Peaks record

Imo Boddy said the challenge was brutal

A North Yorkshire woman has broken a National Three Peaks Challenge record that has stood for 45 years.

Imogen Boddy, 24, from Malton, had to run 100km per day to scale Ben Nevis in Scotland, Scafell Pike in the Lake District and Snowdon in Wales in one attempt.

She covered the 680km (422 mile) distance in six days, five hours and 43 minutes - setting an all-time female record for the ascent of the highest mountains in each country.

Her time significantly surpassed that of Ann Sayer, who completed the National Three Peaks in seven days in 1979.

Imogen Boddy took only brief naps in a support van during the run

It was the exploits of race walker Sayer, who died in 2020, which inspired Ms Boddy, a personal trainer, to attempt the record herself.

She said: "It's the hardest thing I've ever done, it was absolutely brutal.

"It was incredible. I had so much support. In so many towns and villages, people came out to support me."

Ms Boddy said she was "absolutely exhausted"

Her coach Chris Taylor said she had trained for her latest challenge by running more than 90km a week for several months - even in deep snow on Ben Nevis.

Ms Boddy added: "I had trust in my coach, it was a real team effort."

She took brief naps in a support van driven by her parents and drank strawberries and cream frappuccinos to keep cool.

The ultra-runner became the youngest woman to run the length of the UK in 2022, completing the feat in 22 days.

She began testing herself while she was a pupil at Sedbergh School, where she created an endurance event that involved a 10km swim in Lake Windermere, a marathon run and a 40km cycle for fellow sixth-formers.

The men's Three Peaks record, set in 1980 by Arthur Eddleston, stands at five days, 23 hours and 37 minutes.

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].