NUMEROUS people take part in epic challenges every year in Cumbria, but there can be few - if any - tougher than the gruelling continuous round of Alfred Wainwright’s beloved 214 summits.

The most recent attempt at running all of the peaks non-stop was by 40-year-old Ambleside vet Sabrina Verjee at the beginning of this month.

She was on course to break Paul Tierney’s record time of six days and six hours until the weather and her asthma forced her to pull out of the attempt.

However, after the run, she vowed ‘the story isn’t over’ and said: “I love running and I love exploring the Wainwrights. We have unfinished business.”

She said: “This is not the conclusion that I had anticipated and of course I am hugely disappointed to have had to stop.

“However, for a good part of the run, it was a great experience with wonderful company.

“I said at the start that this was a team effort and I couldn’t have asked for better teammates on my journey around the Wainwrights.”

Mrs Verjee had previously completed the course in July 2020.

On the face of it, she became the first woman ever to complete the Wainwrights round.

However, she later said that her run should not constitute a record because she had been forced to lean on members of her support team for parts of the route after suffering a knee injury.

Ulverston mountaineer Dom Ainsley attempted to set a winter record for the challenge in an unprecedented February attempt in 2020.

He was forced to pull out after four days owing to adverse weather conditions.

“The weather was just too much. We had that Storm Ciara and Storm Dennis and it never really settled down, and it was just far too dangerous to be out in the hills on my own,” he said at the time.

“I was keen to carry on. But my support team came together and made the right decision to pull out.”

The overall record for the circuit is held by Paul Tierney, who achieved this in 2019.

The Ambleside AC runner broke the record of Threlkeld athlete Steve Birkinshaw, who ran the route in six days and 13 hours in 2014.

Prior to that, the title of fastest time had been held by Joss Naylor for almost 30 years. Mr Birkinshaw beat the fell running legend’s time, set in 1987, by 12 hours.

“It’s all a bit overwhelming to be honest,” said Mr Birkinshaw following his run.

“Joss Naylor is an incredible athlete so to have beaten his record is amazing.”