A FIELD of 111 dedicated athletes took to the roads of Dartmoor last weekend to take on the challenge of the Dartmoor Ultra Marathon.

On what was probably the hottest day this year, the runners set off from Princetown, started by the mayor of West Devon, Cllr Christine Grills.

The gruelling 32-mile course takes in punishing Dartmoor hills and the towns and villages of Ashburton, Widecombe and Postbridge.

The first man to pass the finishing post, back in Princetown, was Dave Stone, who completed the race in a time of three hours, fifty minutes ? no mean feat, bearing in mind the hot conditions.

First woman home was Heather Foundling-Hawker, who completed the race in four hours, thirty minutes.

Race organiser Phil Hampton said: ?It was an excellent day ? everybody said it was the best race they?d ever been in.

?A hundred and eleven started and a hundred finished, which was great, considering the heat of the day and the course.

?The people from Scotland were amazed ? they said they didn?t know we had hills like this!?

The race attracted runners from as far afield as Arbroath, Rosyth and Kerry in Ireland ? the oldest competitor being Jim McKellar, aged 68, from Milton Keynes. Ed Shillabeer, the 64-year-old former Great Britain walker and record holder from Plymouth, also took part in the event.