End of the road for ultra-marathon

Runners carried all supplies in a back-pack over the six-day event

The torture is over for the 30 athletes who have been competing in one of the toughest running races in the world.

The first Marathon of Britain has lasted six days covering approximately 170 miles from Malvern to Nottingham.

The course took runners through the Cotswold Hills, Stratford-upon-Avon, via Warwick and Kenilworth Castles, before crossing the site of the Battle of Bosworth and finishing under the portcullis of Nottingham Castle.

Terrain along the route was mostly countryside - only 3% of the course consisted of public roads.

Tough navigation

Cyril Bennis, an ultra distance runner and former Mayor of Stratford-upon-Avon, said: "The course was diabolical, it was so hard, but I did prove to myself that I could do it."

The event did not consist of just running - competitors had to carry their clothes and supplies in a back-pack and take a map to find their way.

Team winner Luke Cunliffe said: "We've had a really hard time, we had a lot of hills, a lot of canal running.

"I think probably the hardest part of the whole race, which sets this apart from any race I've ever done, has been the difficulty with the navigation."

The runners have consumed 40,000 litres of water during the event which raised money for children with leukaemia.