And one Helensburgh woman took the whole thing in her stride – completing the race in 41 hours 36 minutes at the end of last month – just months shy of her 50th birthday.

Lorna Masterton, 49, has spent 10 years hill running and six years doing ultra-distance trails but the UTMB 2014 was the culmination of her efforts.

The event is held annually and covers France, Switzerland and Italy, this year 2,300 people took part with the race finishing in Chamonix.

Having previously completed the West Highland Way race, four times, Lorna knew that it takes real determination to complete an endurance event.

But the alpine route is so severe that despite having strict pre-qualification rules a high percentage of runners drop out.

Lorna told the Advertiser: “The race started at 5.30pm on Friday night and it was raining hard making the conditions underfoot treacherous in the high ground but the weather dried up the next day with hot sunshine and the views were spectacular.

“The many ascents generally took around three hours and the night-time descents took a lot of concentration, focusing on where your headtorch was shining.

“I was glad of the constant hill reps of Ben Nevis I had done in the months leading up to the race, along with weekly trips around the Arrochar hills and long trail runs to get my legs and lungs used to running in the hills all day.

“As with all ultra-distance events, it becomes more of a mental challenge, once you have transcended the physical barriers and dealt with the fatigue.

“I found even that passed as we went into the second night and I was less aware of it as being a race, with a beginning and an end. It just became a continuous traverse across a landscape, which you became a part of. It was then an experience of how simple life can be when its reduced down to the basics of just surviving when you’re pushing yourself beyond barriers on every level. It makes you realise what’s important to you and everything else becomes immaterial.” Lorna’s family and friends joined her at the finish line to celebrate the end of the two-day race, which she completed about 11am on Sunday, August 31.

She added: “The last 8k down the steep mountain tracks back into Chamonix were unforgettable. Perfect conditions for a final burst of speed, and the support from the crowds and my friends there to greet me, made it a very happy and exciting finish.”