The trail-running teacher who covered 178 miles in less than three days

Freya is thought to be the first woman take on both trails back-to-back [Freya Shepherd] Freya Shepherd said there were times during her 178-mile (287km) run along two of Scotland's best-known long-distance trails when the pain and sleep deprivation made her feel "a bit loopy". The 26-year-old physics teacher ran the famous West Highland Way and the Great Glen Way back-to-back in two days and 15 hours - only managing to sleep for about 80 minutes during the whole trek. It was Freya's second attempt at completing the run from the outskirts of Glasgow to Inverness after failing in her first last October.

"I was going quite crazy by the end," she told BBC Scotland. "It felt fine at first and then it started to get really bad. "Every time I stopped, I put my head on my poles and just kind of shut my eyes for a few minutes.

" Freya's says the most surprising thing was how "perfect" the weather was [Freya Shepherd] Despite the pain and lack of sleep, Freya, from Inverness, said she was determined not to give up for a second time. She is thought to be the first woman to complete the two long-distance treks in one continuous effort. Her route began at the start of the West Highland Way in Milngavie, north of Glasgow.

From there, she ran up the side of Loch Lomond, into Rannoch Moor and Glencoe before arriving at Fort William after 32 hours. The 95-mile West Highland Way typically takes recreational walkers five to eight days because of its often tricky terrain. The Great Glen Way, which starts in Fort William and runs beside the Caledonian Canal, through Fort Augustus and up Loch Ness up to Inverness, can often take walkers five to seven days.