Ultra-marathon runners

Clifton, 48, was joined in the race by Kristen Brace, 44, from Penrith who runs with the Blue Mountains Running Company. Both were attempting their longest race yet.

Clifton finished sixth overall and was the third woman home in 30 hours, 1 minute and 11 seconds.

Brace finished agonisingly short when weather closed in around the summit of Mt Kosciuszko as she approached.

"We got to one kilometre of the summit and we turned around because other runners coming back begged us not to go," Brace said. Despite that, she loved the race and has vowed to do it again.

Clifton finished just inside the old course record, as did the first two female placegetters, but it was no easy run.

"I found it very hard. It definitely felt like the hardest race I've ever done and probably the most difficult and challenging experience I've ever had."

At around the 82-kilometre mark, she tripped and took skin off her hands, elbows and knees.

"I did think, 'is this the end of my race', but my crew got me taped up pretty quickly and back on the road."

She also was physically sick at the 160-kilometre mark after a three-kilometre climb.

"It would have been interesting to see how it might have played out if I hadn't got sick," she said.

Clifton did not sleep at all during the 30 hours, though at one stage felt her eyes closing even as she ran. Some caffeinated gel helped keep her going.

The race has a number of checkpoints but no food stations so runners rely on their crew to provide all their food and drink. Clifton said so grateful to her crew, who would drive ahead and wait for her, then supply her with everything she needed.

Would she do it again?

"During the race I said I would never, never do this again but in the morning, even though I was in pain, I thought of a few things that went wrong so I think I'd like to go again."

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