Steve Battle put his injuries to the back of his mind as he ran the 18-day, 715-mile Transe Gaule.

The 45-year-old Worksop Harrier is an ‘ultra runner,’ an athlete who takes on the most gruelling endurance races.

Steve began the race across France on 13th August and crossed the finishing line 18 days later in a time of 149 hours 20 minutes 45 seconds.

With 52 of the world’s top ultra runners taking part, the Worksop man was delighted with his 28th place finish – especially in the light of his injury trouble.

He said: “There were 15 runners who dropped out from injuries but I just kept going. It was gruelling, there were times when I’d come up to a really steep hill and would have to walk, but I just didn’t want to give up.”

“Shin splints are quite common, and I started to feel it on the 10th day, but I pushed through it.”

The Transe Gaule began at Roscoff on the English Channel and finished at Gruissan-Plage, on the Mediterranean.

Runners had to average over 40 miles per day to have any hope of completing the race, but Steve’s preparations for the event saw him running just 50 miles a week.

“I didn’t do an awful lot of training for it,” he said.

“I ran about 50 miles per week and then didn’t do anything at all for a few weeks before, I wanted to be really fresh for the race.”

The Worksop runner was only the fourth Englishman to complete the Transe Gaule, and he now has his sights set on an even tougher challenge.

“My ambition is to one day complete the 64-day Transe Europe race.”

“That goes from the southern tip of Italy to the top of Norway in the Arctic Circle.”

A love of crossing his own physical boundaries is what spurred Steve on to involvement in ultra running.

“I just wanted to see what I could achieve and I like passing boundaries, to see how far I can go,” he said.

“I think I’m mentally driven to do it.”

If Steve is to further his ultra running career, he needs the backing of one person in particular.

He told the Guardian: “I’ve a feeling that I’ll need to get my wife’s permission to do more of these events, it’s a long time to be away.”

His other half is very understanding when it comes to his passion for running – especially as it brought them together.

He explained: “I met my wife Sasha when I was on a Harriers trip to Moscow about 16 years ago.”

“She was a translator, and after I came home we kept in touch and ended up getting married.”

Steve and Sasha have two sons, a 10-year-old and an eight-year-old, and they’ve already begun to follow in their dad’s footsteps.

Steve said: “Richard is 10 and James is eight and they’re both in the Harriers junior section.”

“They’re beginning to show a real interest in athletics.”

l Steve’s next race will be the Rowbothams Round Rotherham 50-mile event in December.