A PENARTH local tackled one of the world’s hardest races this summer.

Rachel Eales competed in the Whole Earth Man v Horse race for the first time, running against 650 other individual runners and 60 horses and their riders.

The avid runner was recruited to race as a member of the Whole Earth team. Following this, Mrs Eales continued to train hard for the race and managed to finish in four hours, 45 minutes and 44 seconds.

Speaking about taking part she said: "I loved running in one of the toughest races in the World and it was amazing to be part of Team Whole Earth.

"Their nut butters are something that I regularly eat when I’m training for big races and were definitely a huge help to power me through the race. Whole Earth Man V Horse was definitely the hardest race I’ve ever done but it was so much fun and everyone was so friendly and I loved running in amazing setting in the Welsh countryside.”

The Whole Earth Man V Horse race was born from a bet in the back room of the Neaudd Arms in 1980 (the pub which 38 years on is still the starting point for the race) in which two locals argued over whether man could ever beat a horse in a long-distance race. Fast forward 25 years and finally man, Huw Lobb to be exact, emerged victorious in 2004, a feat only ever repeated once more by Florian Holzlinger in 2007. Katrina Farmer, senior brand manager at Whole Earth, said: “Having sponsored the race for a number of years, we’ve seen how tricky it can be! This is why we recruited and trained our own team."

For more information on the Whole Earth Man v Horse race, visit www.wholeearthfoods.com.