A COWLING resident has smashed the women's record for the fastest time to complete a gruelling 112-mile run along the Pennines.

Emma Hopkinson, 36, ran non-stop to finish the Montane Spine Challenge in just 29 hours 41 minutes, breaking the women's record by 45 minutes. She finished fourth overall.

Miss Hopkinson, who is an experienced runner but has only been doing long distance running for a year, is a member of the Wharfedale Harriers.

She said she was delighted with her Montane Spine success, which she managed despite battling a bout of sickness on the route.

"I feel over the moon," she said. "I felt amazing when I finished, especially to have broken the record and come fourth overall."

She began the race in Edale, in Derbyshire and finished at Hardraw, near Hawes, in North Yorkshire.

"You have to do the run 100 per cent unsupported, taking everything with you that you need to survive, which weighed almost a stone," she explained.

"I must have repacked my bag 10 or 15 times to make sure the weight was properly balanced, and that nothing would be sticking into my back.

"I'd been planning for this race for a year, so I'd even know where I was going without having to check the map.

"But when I was in the Cowling area I had a really rough patch. I'd had some unfamiliar food which didn't agree with me and made me feel sick.

"After all the preparation I'd done, I suddenly got thrown this curve ball which I had to dig deep to overcome."

Miss Hopkinson, who works for the Children and Family Service in Craven, and also helps out on her family's farm, said she was given support and inspiration on the route by family and friends who turned out to cheer her on.

She now plans to complete the Montane Summer Spine race, which is a daunting 268 miles.