Headington Roadrunner Hanno Nickau displayed remarkable endurance as he smashed his own course record by ten minutes to win the tough 87-mile TRA Ridgeway Challenge over the weekend.

The run, organised by the Trail Running Association, started at Ivinghoe Beacon, Bedfordshire, at midday on Saturday, and finished at Overton Hill, Wiltshire, on Sunday.

He clocked an impressive 16hrs 39mins 49secs for the course through almost 6,000 feet of incline.

The record bid was made more difficult by the fact that half the running had to be in darkness for the 15 comp- etitors.

Nickau led from the gun, building a lead of more than six minutes after 30 miles.

But he then missed a turn near Swincombe, losing nine minutes and falling back behind Sam Kilpatrick.

Nickau managed to catch up with Kilpatrick, and for most of the race, it was nip and tuck.

With 18 miles to go, Nickau put on another surge, building up a decisive lead that had extended to 15 minutes by the finish line.

Andy Grove, of Eynsham Roadrunners, finished third in 18hrs 13mins.

It was Grove's first ultra-distance run, although he has run 27 marathons in the past with a best time of 2hrs 48mins.

He was supported by his mother Audrey, sister Julie-Anne Gwilym and friend Alan Bennett, who ran the last six miles of the race with him.

Fellow Eynsham Roadrunners Larry Poole and Peter Larbalestier also joined Grove on other sections of the route.

He found the hardest part of the run was navigating in the dark and running on the rutted ground.

He received fantastic backing from his support crew, who were at each checkpoint to provide him with much-needed changes of clothes, cups of tea and food.