Holly Rush overcame a heavy fall to help Great Britain win the team bronze medal at the World Mountain Marathon Championships in Poland on Saturday.
The Team Bath international, pictured, added the event to her impressive long-distance CV, despite posting her slowest-ever time over the 26.2-mile distance in clocking 4hrs 10mins 35secs, and relished the unfamiliar challenge.
"I have to say I was a bit out of my depth on the course, with very technical descents of huge boulders and sharp rocks," said Rush, who was the 12th woman home and third England scorer behind Anna Lupton (fifth) and Helen Fines (sixth).
"I took a hard fall around 21 miles, straight on my face, but luckily I only came away with superficial wounds but it is not something I am used to in road marathons."
Rush lost places on the difficult downhill sections but regained ground on the flat and climbs. She also finished strongly as her endurance came to the fore.
"By the last 10k I started to pass more girls and made up another five places, passing the Italian girl [who had led the race before fading badly] on the final hill," added Rush.
"The finish was brilliant. It reminded me of the Mt Ventoux finish at the Tour de France. The conditions were brutal, topping 40 degrees with little cover past the first 6k.
"But all in all a great trip with a great group of other runners. It is always an honour to pull on an England vest, so I was over the moon with my 12th place and a team bronze medal."
Over the past year, Rush has completed a range of challenges, from a seven-day high altitude trail event in the Himalayas to the Compton Downland 40-mile multi-terrain race. She also tackled South Africa's Comrades ultra-marathon, one of the world's the most famous long-distance road races.
She added: "I love running in the mountains but this sort of course really wasn't designed for me.
"For now I will stick to the roads and smooth trails until I can learn to descend."
