sand, trail and tarmac between the coastal villages of Beadnell and Alnmouth, before being rewarded with their technical finisher T-shirts. The route offers less demanding contours than one might expect from a course that includes both beaches

a few road and track stretches, the 15-mile course is run on varying consistencies of sand which, combined with strong coastal winds, one small cliff climb and a hundred-odd steps at the turnaround point make for a more gutsy opponent than your

-thick tyres: to cruise over the sand, mud, hills and bogs that typify army training terrain. Pit a trail-blazing group of off-road runners ploughing against similar landscapes however, and it’s anyone’s guess how wet, dirty and utterly exhausted they’ll emerge