Experienced ultra-distance runner Ben Scott completed the Arc of Attrition 100-miler on the southern coastpath of Cornwall recently.

The Arc is a point-to-point extreme coastal race from Coverack to Porthtowan taking in some stunning and dramatic sections of coastal footpath.

Regarded as the south west of England’s toughest footrace, the 2017 version took place over the weekend of February 10-12 - the coldest and windiest of the year to date.

The race has a strict 36-hour cut-off, with additional checkpoint cut-offs en route approximately 20 miles apart.

Although it follows a way-marked route, it is a self-navigation event suitable only for experienced ultra-distance runners.

This year’s Arc of Attrition was something of a personal challenge for Scott as he had failed to finish the 2016 race.

Registration was at the finish in Porthtowan and coaches took competitors down to the start line at Coverack, on the south coast.

Ben takes up the story himself: ’Midday arrived and the 109 starters set off and filed onto the narrow path. After 10 miles we rounded the most southerly point of England, Lizard Point.

’I reached the first checkpoint at Porthleven (24.5 miles) in 4hr 45min. A quick bite to eat and a cup of coffee and I was off, eager to make the most of the fading light.

’At Praa Sands, I started to run with another runner: Jake Anderson.

’Checkpoint 2 at Penzance (38 miles) was in the middle of a seven-mile stretch of road running. It was good to get in the warm as the temperature had dropped appreciably, and the wind hadn’t.

’We had been going for eight hours and I felt good. The next section was 16 miles to Lands End and a lot of it was not runnable, consisting of boulders, steep drops and mud.

’At around 1am we made it to the checkpoint at Lands End (54 miles) and were relieved to have a sit down in the warm again. A small bowl of chilli and some salted nuts later and we were back on the trail, heading north.

’We had turned the corner, but we had also entered the most difficult section of the race: 24 miles with opportunity to see support crew only twice left an unsupported stretch of 13.5 miles of the most inhospitable, boulder-strewn hills of the whole course. A stretch which saw my towel firmly thrown in the previous year.

’According to the race organisers the average time taken to complete this 24 miles is nine hours. Jake and I came into the St Ives checkpoint (78 miles) cold, tired but happy after 8 hours 20 minutes. After a bowl of chicken soup and some more snacks, I was ready for the final 22 mile run-in.

’The bitterly cold wind began to pepper us with hail showers as we arrived at the aptly named town of Hayle. We chuckled at the irony.

’We chuckled less as the hail squalls continued for the next few hours, until we reached the penultimate village of Portreath at 96 miles.

’Two brutal climbs later and we began our descent into Porthtowan and crossed the finish line in 28hr 05min 54sec, which earned us a gold buckle each (awarded for a sub 30-hour performance) and joint 17th place.

’Out of the 109 starters, 46 did not finish, leaving 63 to make it under the 36 hour cut-off.’

l Fellow westerner Matt McSevney also tackled the event. He’d made it as far as St Ives in 2016 (about seven miles farther than Ben).

This year he was running with his mate, Dave ’Spike’ Price. Unfortunately, the latter dropped out at the Penzance checkpoint; Matt sat with him, trying to encourage him back out, for so long in fact that it wasn’t worth Matt carrying on.