Image: Izzy Wilkinson via BBC
Sharon Gayter, a 55-year-old ultra-runner from Guisborough, near Middlesborough, set a new record on 2 August as she became the fastest woman to run the renowned distance between John O’Groats to Land’s End.
Ms Gayter completed the 822-mile journey on foot in just 12 days, 11 hours, 6 minutes and 7 seconds, according to the BBC. Her time is considered to be a new record, though it’s yet to be verified by Guinness World Records.
She set off from Britain’s most Northerly point on 21 July at 07:30 and reached the South-Westerly finish line on 2 August at 18:36, beating previous female record-holder Marina Anderson’s time by over four hours.
The university lecturer, who was back in work the following Monday, said she was severely sleep-deprived, having reportedly slept for just 90 minutes on her final night of the trek and around 3 hours on each of the previous nights.
She told the BBC that she felt “about 105”, but “relieved” as she’d “wanted to break the record by as much as [she] could.”
The inspirational ultra-runner was raising money for mental health charity Mind, having lost several friends to mental illness. A force of nature and an absolute warrior – we salute her.
