A POLICE detective achieved an outstanding feat after 46-hours of non-stop running across 108-miles to become the first woman to complete the 2022 Spine Challenger.

North Yorkshire Police Detective Sergeant Kendra Wedgwood pushed her physical and mental capabilities to the limit by taking part in the Spine Challenger.

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The gruelling run starts in the Peak District village of Edale and follows the Pennine Way, ending in Hawes.

The 108-mile trail takes competitors across some of the most bleak and inhospitable countryside in the UK and participants must run throughout the night as they are only allowed 60 hours to complete the race.

Kendra set off at 8am last Saturday morning and finished just after 6am the following Monday.

Out of 98 starters, she was one of only 29 who finished.

She was the first woman to cross the line and came tenth overall.

She described what motivated her to take part, saying: “The Spine Challenger is an iconic race and I just wanted to be part of it.

“I wanted to see how far I could push my body and what the limit was.

“I think this is a common theme amongst ultra runners.

“Going through that pain barrier and coming out the other side is very rewarding.”

Despite her remarkable finish time of 46 hours and nine minutes, Kendra said she purposefully set off at the back of the pack ‘with absolutely no intention of racing’.

She said: “My only goal was to finish.

“The drop-out rate is always at least 50 percent and I didn’t want to be part of that group. I found out at Malham Tarn that I was leading lady.

“At this point I had 26 miles to go which would include climbing Fountains Fell then Pen-y-Ghent, then Cam High Road.

“I knew it wasn’t going to be easy but I dug in deep with severely blistered feet and a sprained ankle and pushed all the way to the finish.

“It was worth it.”

It wasn’t only physical barriers that Kendra had to break through as she experienced some terrifying hallucinations when she found herself alone on the Moors for eight hours in the dark, while a blizzard raged around her.

She said: “The first night when I was alone I kept seeing men everywhere and this was so frightening.

“The second night, I saw four men who kept appearing, I remember their faces vividly, but I also kept seeing my dogs.

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“I would open a gate and then hold it for my dogs to get through then realise I was hallucinating and shut the gate.

“At one point I convinced myself my eldest dog was dying because I kept seeing him but I was able to rationalise with myself and remind myself that it was just an hallucination.

“They are so real even though you know they are hallucinations.

“I saw a monkey, a rabbit, a fishing rod, a man in boxing shorts with a white boxing glove, just utter madness.”

But the experience has not put Kendra off as she is already looking forward to taking part in a 100-mile race in May and has plans to complete a160-miler next year with a view to entering a 200-mile race.