Tom Adams won the Scafell Pike Trail Marathon – a 26-mile race to the top of England’s highest peak and back – in an incredible time of 3hrs 32mins.

Many people would be proud of a 3:32:30 clocking for a road marathon, so for the INOV8 ambassador to achieve that time on a course that includes 5,000ft of technical, rocky ascent and descent is outstanding. Add to that Sunday’s weather conditions – heavy rain, strong winds and low cloud – and it is even better.

In winning the race – which started at Lingholm, went to the 3,210ft summit of Scafell Pike, and finished in Keswick – Tom smashed the course record by 8 minutes. He beat a stacked field that included runner-up Andrew Douglas (3:35) and third-placed Ricky Lightfoot (3:37).

The Scafell Pike Trail Marathon was also a Great Britain team selection race for the World Trail Running Championships, to be held in Thailand, plus the second race in the Golden Trail National Series. Tom won the first race in the series – The Serpent Trail – in July.

Tom said: “Having had a few Achilles niggles, I wasn’t even sure I’d make the start line. But rehab went well, and I think forced rest, plus time on the bike, meant I went into the race fresh and with no real pressure.

“There were some top athletes racing for places on the GB team and this led to a very fast start. I put it to the back of my mind that we still had Scafell Pike to run up and stuck with the front group. I climbed strongly, even though rocks were greasy... my X-TALON G 235 made the difference. I reached the summit in 3rd place.

“It was a battle all the way back down, but I just had the leg speed to drop Andy on final 5km back to Keswick.

“I got close to qualifying for the world championships a few years back and was a bit disheartened when I didn't get selected for the team. I think that made me want this win even more, so I gave it everything and it paid off. I still can't quite believe it, to be honest. It feels kind of like a dream, but my body is telling me it was definitely real!

“I’m really pleased with how I've progressed from running well at the shorter stuff to breaking through on the longer marathon and ultra running distances. I can't wait to give it my all in Thailand.

The women’s race was won by Eleanor Davis (4:08), with INOV8 ambassador Nichola Jackson second (4:18) and Georgia Tindley third (4:24).