Island-born endurance athlete Phil Marshall has qualified for Team UK at the Backyard Ultra World Team Championships.

Marshall earned his spot by winning the Portland Pig race in Dorset, a designated ‘Silver Ticket’ backyard ultra — a last‑person‑standing event where runners complete a 4.167‑mile (6.7km) loop every hour, on the hour, until only one remains.

Silver Ticket victories guarantee selection for the national squad at October 17’s World Team Championships, where 15 runners per country race simultaneously around the world to build a combined team score, one loop at a time.

In the qualifying race, Marshall battled heat, rain, fatigue and navigational slips to keep starting each new lap, reaching the 24‑hour mark (100 miles) and pushing through a second night before sealing the win with 46 laps, totalling 192 miles.

The result marks his second Backyard Ultra victory, following a win at Hardwick Hall in September, and comes on the back of completing the 268-mile Montane Spine Race in January.

He said: ‘Backyard ultras are a test of mental resilience as much as physical fitness — you just keep turning up on the start line.

‘I've been chasing this Silver Ticket for over a year and to know I’ll be representing the UK is incredibly special.’

Although now based in the North West of England, the 42-year-old attended Ashley Hill Primary School and St Ninian’s High School, and still returns regularly, with family living in Onchan and Douglas. A long-time supporter of Manx endurance sport, he is a multiple finisher of both the Parish Walk and the Manx Mountain Marathon and a two‑time Under‑21 Parish Walk champion.

Marshall added: ‘As a kid I was inspired by the hundreds of people taking on the Parish Walk and all the other wonderful endurance sports that the island specialises in.

‘To carry a bit of the Isle of Man with me onto a world stage means a lot, and I hope it inspires more Manx runners to give these events a go.’