A SCOTTISH runner has made history by becoming the first woman to finish one of the world's hardest ultramarathons.
Jasmin Paris, from Midlothian, completed the Barkley Marathons in Tennessee with just one minute 39 seconds to spare of the 60-hour cut off.
The course, at Frozen Head State Park, covers 100 miles involving a 60,000ft ascent – the equivalent of scaling Mount Everest twice.
Only around 20 people have ever made it to the end of the race within the allotted 60 hours during its 38-year history.
The 40-year-old, who lives at Gladhouse Reservoir, Midlothian, works as a small-animals vet at the University of Edinburgh.
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During the ultramarathon, she had to navigate through extreme and often pathless terrain, continuing to run through the night.
Thousands of supporters watched the race on social media as Paris (below) made her nail-biting finish on Friday.
She was so exhausted she slumped to the ground after finishing the race, which is inspired by a famous prison escape.
Speaking previously, Paris said: "Barkley Marathons is a truly unique challenge, and the idea of running it has been growing on me for the last few years.
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"[I feel] a mixture of excitement and nerves. I know it's going to be very hard, possibly impossible, but at the same time that's what makes me want to run it."
The race is not only known for being physically gruelling, but also for its odd traditions.
The course changes every year but is roughly five loops of 20 miles with only 35 participants allowed each year.
Prospective runners must write a "Why I should be allowed to run in the Berkley" essay along with a $1.60 (£1.27) entrance fee and if successful get a letter of condolence.
Racers are also required to bring an additional "fee", which in the past has included things such as a white shirt, socks, or a car registration plate, as a donation for being a non-finisher.
Competitors must also find between nine and 14 books along the course (the exact number varies each year) before removing the page corresponding to their race number from each book as proof of completion.
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They take them to the race creator and director Gary "Lazarus Lake" Cantrell, at the end of each lap.
He waits at the yellow gate made iconic by the 2014 Netflix documentary Barkley Marathons: The Race That Eats Its Young.
The race starts any time from midnight to noon on race day, with one hour till race start signalled by blowing a conch. The race officially begins when the race director lights a cigarette.
The course is unmarked and competitors must memorise the route beforehand.
The first and third loops are run clockwise, while the second and fourth loops are run anticlockwise. The first finisher of the fourth loop gets to decide which direction they go on the last loop.
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