A PAIR of runners have taken on a gruelling 215-mile ultramarathon, stretching from the west to the east of Scotland via the Southern Upland Way.

Haddington Running Club members Matt Juchniewicz and Paddy McDonald were among those lining up in Portpatrick, on Dumfries and Galloway’s west coast, with the finish line 223 miles (346km) ahead of them at Cockburnspath.

The ultrarunners set off at 6am on Saturday, August 10, and aimed to finish by 10am on Wednesday, August 14, to be within the 100-hour cut-off. 

This incredible challenge sees competitors journey along the Southern Upland Way over tough terrain, climbing 80 mountains with a summit over 2,000 feet above sea level in the process. 

This year, 64 runners finished the race of the 150 who crossed the start line. 

There are 12 checkpoints along the route and runners are self-sufficient between them, carrying their days’ food along with emergency rations due to the inaccessibility of the route should they become lost or injured. 

Paddy McDonald, 72, ran 150 miles but found himself unable to continue after journeying beyond checkpoint eight, having been on the move for more than 57 hours.

Pain in his back resulting from falling into a bog on Sunday night left Paddy doubled over and unable to move. He was forced to call the emergency team, who picked him up and took him to Traquair.  

Paddy was “gutted” to have to pull out but described it as the hardest race he had ever done, still managing to run an incredible 241 kilometres across the country, battling brutal conditions and relentless bogs underfoot.

Fellow Haddington Running Club member Matt, 44, crossed the finish line at 5.04pm on Wednesday, completing the 215 miles in 83 hours, four minutes and seven seconds. 

He also successfully finished the event last year, and this time managed to come in over five hours quicker, despite severe blisters on the balls of his feet and suffering from hallucinations partway through.

Matt told the Courier: “It doesn’t matter how much you prepare, it’s always going to be tough. 

“There’s a lot to think about – it’s not just the distance, it’s the terrain and the weather. 

“With it being Scotland, it’s always going to be wet at some point!

“This year, we had the misfortune of some of the worst ground conditions I’ve ever seen on this course."

Over the four days, Matt managed the get a total of two and a half hours of sleep – an improvement over the one hour he managed to bank last year.

He added: “This year, I had the comfort blanket of having done it before. 

“I thought I wasn’t going to do it again after this year – I’ve done it twice, I have nothing left to prove.

Matt finished the race in 24th place

“And then I haven’t even reached the finish line and I started thinking: ‘I wonder if I could beat this time.'" 

“So in terms of doing it again, never say never!”