PEEBLES Masters runner Susan Ridley helped GB to a gold medal in the W55 category at the World Masters Mountain Running Championships in Ponta do Pargo, Madeira, earlier this month.

The event took place from September 15-17 with athletes from nearly every continent competing.

Her first race was a 9.2km mountain run, climbing 800m up the steep roads leaving the village before working its way up the rocky hillsides where cattle grazed freely and looked on as the runners flew by.

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After reaching the top, the course rejoined the main road for a few hundred metres before turning sharply for a steep and slippy grassy descent to the finish.

Facing a very competitive W55 age group, Ridley steadily worked through the field finishing the latter half of the race very strongly to cross the line in sixth place.

The 32.4km trail race climbing 1,151m and descending 1,154m was held two days later.

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Not her usual distance and with limited training, Ridley set off with the sole goal of finishing the gruelling course.

The first and last 5km stages of the course were on steep tarmac ascents/descents with much of the course run on rocky trails and a small amount on grassy trails running alongside the Levadas.

Weather conditions were ideal – warm with a few showers which helped cool the runners down.

Ridley began at an easy pace choosing not to go off with the fast opening speed.

This proved to be the right decision as she began to steadily overtake runners and pick up her pace in the second half of the race.

A killer climb faced the runners near the end before turning into a cobbled courtyard where she was delighted to finish fourth W55 and help GB to W55 team gold.