WEARY and in pain after running 150km, participants in the inaugural Tyne Trail Ultra were still able to raise their thumbs in appreciation of the punishing new event.

The feedback from the 83 runners who either completed the entire length of the River Tyne from Kielder to Tynemouth or to the halfway point at Warden, where the rivers North and South Tyne meet, were full of praise for the ultra marathon put on by the keen runners, collectively under the banner of Cold Brew Events.

The course, which followed the Tyne Trail devised by cancer charity Daft as a Brush, was an unrelenting one which carried people over every terrain imaginable, but the beauty spots along the river were something which will forever remain in the memory of the ultra marathoners.

Starting at Deadwater, in Kielder, the route headed to checkpoints at Kielder Dam, Bellingham Town Hall and Wark Sports Club before the halfway point, or finishing line for the 75km runners, at Warden’s Boatside Inn.

The full distance runners then recommenced their journey towards the Wellington pub, in Riding Mill, and on to Newburn and then Tynemouth. Andy Clark, of Cold Brew, said: “It couldn’t have gone any better as it went like clockwork. We had great weather and there were no incidents.

“The Tyne Trail Ultra will definitely be a regular on the ultra race calendar!”

There was local success for Hexham’s dedicated runner Steph Scott who capped a remarkable week.

Just days after her selection for the ITU Long Distance Duathlon World Championships, which will take place in Switzerland, she was the first woman to complete the 150km race in a time of 22 hours, 16 minutes and 51 seconds (22:16.51) – a staggering five hours ahead of her nearest rival.

She said: “The event was really well organised and I enjoyed it being local so that I could recce it beforehand, and it was nice to get friends supporting me en route.

“It was a good local event, and there was great support from the Daft as a Brush people at the start, along the course and at the finish.”

The overall winner of the competition, Ed Melbourne, stormed to a remarkable time of 15:16.56, which was well under the 17 hours predicted by the organisers.

Michael Butters was crowned the winner of the 75km race with a time of 7:11.16, with Naomi Philbrick (8:57.19) the fastest woman.

The Tyne Trail also provided Newton ultra Matt Cawood, who ran 104 miles around the Wentworth Leisure Centre track, in Hexham, during a 24-hour run for charity in 2015, to take part in a competition closer to home.

He said: “I had hoped to run far quicker but the course was tougher than I had anticipated, and I did not really get into a rhythm until after Wark.

“I would definitely do it again, though, as it was a great event in what is effectively my back garden.”

While the route started at the River North Tyne, the organisers are looking to alternate with the River South Tyne on a yearly basis.