A MARLBOROUGH resident has pushed himself to the limit by running for over 33 hours straight to take part in a gruelling 100 mile race along the Cornish coast.

Richard Palmer, 37, took on the challenge last weekend along with 148 elite long distance runners.

The race, known as ‘Arc of Attrition’ is a point-to-point extreme coastal race that begins in Coverack and ends in Porthtowan, following 100 miles of dramatic Cornish coast-path.

The competitors have to complete an Arc around the entire south west foot of Cornwall and run in challenging winter conditions. The race has a 36 hour cut-off with additional checkpoint cut-offs on route.

Mr Palmer, a maintenance manager from London Road in Marlborough said: “I wanted to push myself to my ultimate limit and see how far I could go.

“After the sun rose and I entered the 2nd day of running, fatigue hit and my speed reduced. I had to find hidden strength to hit the cut off at St Ives (85th mile mark).

“The highlight was when I hit some of the non-technical parts and could look up from the ground and enjoy the amazing views across the coast and the last 5 miles when I knew I was going to finish the challenge.”

Extreme weather conditions destroyed big chunks of the coastal path in the weeks leading up to the race and made it necessary for diversions. The diversions lead to a 5 mile extension, and along with the dramatic changes in weather from sleet and snow to torrential rain, it made this year’s race particularly demanding.

In order to have any chance of reaching the finishing line in time, competitors must run through the night, stopping only at designated checkpoints for water, food and medical attention.

148 competitors started the race on Friday morning. Mr Palmer was one of only 52 that completed the race on Saturday. He finished in 33.5 hours, having run 107 miles.

When asked if he would do it again, Mr Palmer answered: “At the end of the race I said never again but now my legs are starting to hurt less, I'm tempted."