ALMOST 400 runners took part in a gruelling 50-mile run throughout the Lake District at the weekend.

Amongst the 395 was Kendal helicopter pilot Owen McTeggart who has flown the Great North Air Ambulance Service's Pride of Cumbria for the past four years. He undertook the Lakes in a Day challenge to support the charity.

"It was a beautiful day for it," he said. "Nice chill winds and a little bit of sunshine and it made it nice with the views."

The run, which began at Caldbeck in the North Lakes at 8am and finished in Cartmel, took Owen 16 hours and 58 minutes to complete. His wife and friends were waiting for him at the finish line, which he crossed just before 1am.

"I've done marathons before but nothing this long," he said. "I'm a frustrated ex-rugby player so I do a little bit of running in the hills, but only 10 or 15 miles."

"When I kissed my wife goodbye at Ambleside, I realised I still had 22 miles to go!"

As well as spanning 50 miles, the ultra run included 4,000 metres of ascent, with runners making their way to Cartmel via the Helvellyn ridge.

The female winner was Elizaveta Ershova who clocked in at 11 hours, 56 minutes and 28 seconds and the male winner was Paul Nelson, with a time of 10 hours, 16 minutes and 28 seconds.

Owen, who comes from a military background, said that as well as being physically draining it was mentally difficult.

"During the night part of it you're just running with a head-torch and it's just looking at the light and keeping going, one foot in front of the other - during the last 20 miles it's just about switching off," he said. "The military mentality was the thing - the grinning and bearing it."

The pilot has raised an impressive £2,750 in donations so far, with money still coming in - and although he is just about recovered, he will not be heading out to the hills for a while yet.

"I am walking unaided but I've had to take a few days off work - I definitely would not be able to fly at the moment," he said.

"That is the first and the last ultra marathon that I am going to do," Owen said. "I will think of something else to do next time!"