A PEEBLESSHIRE woman who smashed the record for running the 212-mile Southern Upland Way says eating stock cubes was the secret to her success.

Anna Rutherford, of Eddleston, ran the coast-to-coast route from Portpatrick to Cockburnspath in 62 hours and 34 minutes – beating the record time by more than 17 hours.

The 38-year-old, who only slept for a total of 90 minutes during the challenge, said she was sick twice and developed mouth ulcers.

As reported by the BBC, the Ultra Great Britain club runner said: "The hardest bit was knowing how long it was and knowing that it would push me to absolute breaking point.

"I knew my legs would hurt but I had no idea how my body would break down. It was awful.

"I was shaking with cold and exhaustion and just kept thinking – keep moving, crawl if you have to, but just keep moving towards the coast and eventually it will be there, and eventually you will finish."

Mum-of-two Rutherford completed the challenge just nine months after giving birth to her second child.

The BBC reports she started the challenge at 5am on Thursday and finished at around 7.30pm on Saturday (May 1).

Supported by a team of friends along the way, the lawyer said she found it very difficult to eat during the run and only managed 2,000 calories.

Rutherford added: "I could have any food I wanted as there was a van meeting me at points along the way with supplies, but I just couldn't eat.

"Then my friend Lucy Colquhoun gave me a bag of dry stock cubes and that was unbelievable.

"I was losing so many electrolytes so the stock cubes helped me so much as they are pure salt."

The previous women’s record for the route was 79 hours and 46 minutes, held by Rosie Bell, from Strathaven in South Lanarkshire, who finished the course in 2019.

Rutherford told the BBC: "I thought so much about incredible runners like Jasmin Paris or Nicky Spinks and was like: 'I'm just me. I'm a mum of two children, who is just so normal – how can someone like me run as long and as hard as that?'

"But I was so determined to show Kit and Ella that dreams are possible, because they are. I ran it because of the kids, not in spite of them.

"I get all emotional even thinking about it. But if I can do it then anyone can."