Cumbria's Wainwrights record broken by runner Sabrina Verjee - BBC News
Vet Sabrina Verjee, 40, said the 214-peak course in Cumbria had become "an obsession" for her.
Sabrina Verjee, from Ambleside, completed the course at 06:52 BST

A fell runner has broken the record for completing all of Cumbria's 214 Wainwright peaks in less than six days.

Sabrina Verjee, from Ambleside in the Lake District, finished the 325-mile (525km) route in five days, 23 hours and 49 minutes, at 06:52 BST.

The vet previously ran the course in 2020 but was forced to abandon a third attempt in May due to "brutal weather" which caused an asthma flare-up.

The 40-year-old said she was "very tired and very happy".

"This time, my body held out better than I expected and I was able to maintain a good pace throughout," she added.

"The Wainwrights have become an obsession and I felt that I could and should complete a round in under six days, so I am over the moon to have proved myself right."

The peaks, which include the summit of England's highest mountain - Scafell Pike, get their name from Alfred Wainwright's seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells.

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The runner, who finished outside her home in Langdale, has amassed a strong following online who have kept up with her challenge via a tracker, which showed her official time as 143:49:12.

During her six days on the fells, she stopped only for food, running repairs and, very occasionally, for two or three hours' rest.

Ms Verjee thanked her "absolutely amazing" support group who she said kept her motivated and fuelled.

The 214-peak course in the Lake District

"If what I have done inspires more people - especially girls and women - to get out there and challenge themselves, then that's an added bonus," she added.

This was her fourth attempt at the course, with the first having to be stopped in its early stages in 2020 due to the Covid-19 lockdown.

Ms Verjee hugged her husband Ben Turner after finishing the challenge early on Thursday

Running club Tyne Bridge Harriers tweeted it was "an amazing achievement and utterly mind-blowing".

The previous record for the quickest completion of all 214 was set in 2019 by Paul Tierney and the first recorded continuous round was completed in 1985 by Alan Heaton in nine days and 16 hours.

Ms Verjee vowed not to give up after bad weather affected her third attempt in May

The 40-year-old said the Wainwrights had become "an obsession" and she wanted to inspire others to get outdoors

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