SUSIE Chan, who earlier this year set a new world record for running 12-hours straight on a treadmill, has just returned from a gruelling five-day 230k race through the Peruvian jungle finishing as third woman home.

Beyond the Ultimate has been running the 230k Jungle Ultra for a few years and Susie decided to head out with fellow runner Shaun to the Manu National Park in Peru to see what it was like.

The race takes participants through tough jungle trails, mountain roads and village tracks, while carrying everything they need to survive the week (apart from water) on their back.

The participants journey begun from Cloud Forest, where they headed down 10,500ft to the Amazon jungle below - they were no longer alone having to survive the jungle’s unique wildlife and various tribes of the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest.

Susie said: “Shaun and I decided to take the first day relatively conservatively. It’s a good multi-stage strategy and it will also preserves your quads. The second I started running I felt immediately breathlessly, knackered.

“The altitude hurt. Within three kilometres we were in jungle. Little did I know that, unlike any multi-stage ultras done previously this one gets harder and harder with each day.”

Day two consisted of a 33-kilometre route through the jungle. Thick jungle needed to be ducked, climbed and weaved through, rivers got a little deeper to cross, hills became a little steeper and ants become more bitey.

“For a four-kilometre stretch it was pretty much just controlled falling over and the descents got harder to negotiate underfoot” added Susie.

As the week went on Shaun was in trouble. “He had received some treatment the previous evening, but as we set off it became clear he was in trouble.

“He was extremely hot, then extremely cold and sweating profusely. This was a sign his body had stopped being able to regulate his core temperature and can escalate dangerously if untreated.

“The check points in the race are manned by doctors, but far apart. He decided to stop at CP1 and was immediately attended to by the brilliant Exile Medic team. I went on alone.”

With humidity levels reaching 100 per cent, Susie too became feeble and the thought of quitting started to cross her mind.

Susie continued: “I had been hovering around third lady and if I was to continue, it needed to be worth it, knowing my performance was my best. I lost sight of the leading lady but fell into step with Jacks Manson, a brilliant New Zealand runner.

“It was great to have company – we kept each other as chipper as we could in the increasingly tricky conditions.

“The finale was a ‘King/Queen of the Hill’ segment race, My legs were just about managing to keep going - what followed was the worse four-kilometre climb of my life. Upon arrival at camp I fell asleep on the floor feeling dreadful.”

Day five was a 70-kilometre journey setting off from a tiny, remote town called Pilcopata, where the runners were greeted with by the town’s residents cheering them on as they went by.

“I was almost delirious crossing the finish line. Never before have I been so tortured by the urge to stop from so very early in a race. It pushed me mentally beyond anything” added Susie.

“It turns out that above everything, all you need is to believe that you can do it. When it’s done, it is of course worth it all. Thank you to Beyond the Ultimate, true to your tag line, ‘Nothing is Tougher’.