A KENDAL athlete has completed a ‘brutal’ endurance race, which involved running virtually non-stop for an entire weekend.

Dad-of-two Glyn Rose took part in the Montane Spine Challenger, a 108-mile long epic.

He set off on Saturday, January 11, at 8am and – save for a couple of hours sleep – did not stop until he crossed the finish line at 4.45pm on the following Monday to whoops and applause from friends and family.

The 45-year-old ran part of the Pennine Way, starting from Edale in Derbyshire all the way to Hawes in the Yorkshire Dales.

He said: “It was totally brutal. I’ve done ultra events before and the Lakeland 50 but even the first day was a race within itself.”

Glyn started running around 10 years ago and weighed in at 13 stone 10lb before the event and also carried a 10 kilo pack of supplies.

Two friends, Chris Chadwick, 42, from Hull, and Wayne Singleton, 38, of Endmoor, had intended to run it with him. But Chris had to drop out after being injured early in the race, while Wayne was advised to stop due to hypothermia.

“The event’s sales pitch sums it up as Britain’s most brutal and terrifying race,” said Wayne.

“Over 50 per cent of the starters on the Challenger, including myself, pulled out of the event over the weekend, which is testament to its toughness.”

Those taking part are given 60 hours to complete the marathon and Glyn managed it within 56 hours.

Glyn said he had been preparing for the event since February 2013 by going out in ‘foul’ weather and finding Pennine runs as well as checking the route.

The Montane Spine Challenger event is part of a longer 268-mile non-stop event called the Montane Spine, which races up the full Pennine Way in under seven days.

Now resting back at home, Glyn said his only injuries were swollen feet and two blisters on each of his little toes.

Glyn is one of the co-founders of www.ultramadness.co.uk and said he received invaluable support in training for the event from outdoor clothing company Montane, and local elite runner Charlie Sproson, of Ullswater.