Exhausted mum Nichola Newton is recovering after running 85 miles to raise money for Cherhill Primary School.

Miss Newton, 44, pushed herself to the limit in the Ridgeway Challenge – an 85-mile non-stop run, which started at the top of Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire on Saturday and finished at Avebury on Sunday morning.

She said: “It was an amazing experience but it was a lot harder than I thought it would be and my feet are really swollen now – I was not expecting that.

“I have run other ultra marathons – anything longer than a marathon – and I am used to my body seizing up, but not the swollen feet.”

The mother of three finished in under 24 hours and was awarded a gold medal for being the first woman over 40 to finish.

“That was amazing – I had to do it in under 24 hours and I came in just after 23,” she said. “I actually managed to kind of sprint the last five miles – I think my adrenaline took over at that point.”

She was joined in the challenge by fellow members of Calne Running Club Tony Nott and Dave Telfer.

They ran through the night along a 5,000-year-old track through the Chiltern Hills and North Wessex Downs. Mr Nott finished in under 21 hours, while Mr Telfer came in 20 minutes behind Miss Newton.

Miss Newton said: “Tony was amazing – he has done it before and he just vanished in a puff of smoke. You run for the first half, some 43 miles, but then you have to power walk when it gets dark or you could twist your ankle or fall.

“The night is really hard because during the day you can look around, but in the night it is just black and all you have is a torch.

“I threw a bit of a wobbly on the 69th mile and I nearly gave up but my other half, John Shaw, was fantastic and he really pushed me on. I would not have done it without him.”

Despite her swollen feet, Miss Newton is already thinking about next year’s challenge – and cutting her time.

She thinks she raised £350 for the school, where her six, eight and ten-year-old boys are pupils.