Triathlon: Keeping faith on the road to Ben Hope: A triathlon peak has been scaled in the Highlands this week

ANDREW JOHNSTON and Rory Gibson have completed their mountain triathlon across the Munros, the 277 Scottish peaks over 3,000ft, shattering the existing record by five days. They finished at 8.30pm on Monday on the summit of Ben Hope, the most northerly Munro, completing an epic journey which began 51 days and 10 hours earlier on the Isle of Mull.

After swimming lochs, cycling highland roads and running across some of the most desolate and dangerous terrain in Britain, they covered 1,400 miles, the equivalent of a marathon every day, and climbed 400,000ft, the height of 14 Everests.

The previous record was set by Hugh Symonds in 1990, though he ran all the way rather than use a bicycle. Symonds advised the 31-year- old athletes and a mountain guide, Geoff Charlton, led them along the Cullin Ridge, the most difficult part of their route.

Poor weather and fatigue prevented them from achieving their original target of 50 days. Gibson, an architect from Edinburgh, ran most of the way with a swollen ankle and Johnston, a medical representative from Aberdeen, had a stomach virus, but they hope to raise pounds 50,000 for the Scottish Cot Death Trust based at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow from their record run.

Donations to: The Great Munro Challenge Cot Death Appeal, c/o R Gibson, 277, North Deeside Rd, Milltimber, Aberdeen AB1 0HA.