Craig’s peak fitness:
UltrarunnerdidWest HighlandWayin21hours
A Strathaven printer has proved he can take his body to the extremes by completing his 15th ultramarathon.
Craig Hamilton, 47, juggles working full-time as a operations manager with the intense training needed for completing ultramarathons and completed the West Highland Way Race last month.
The race saw him complete the the demanding 95-mile race in 21 hours 41 minutes – smashing his personal best by 31 minutes.
He spent most of his free time training for the gruelling ultramarathon, juggling this alongside working at printers Xeretec.
He trains six times a week with a specialist ultra running coach.
Craig has previously completed marathons in cities across the world, such as London, Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin.
The dad-of-two then progressed onto triathlon and double Ironman events, which have seen him complete swim, cycle and run circuits of up to 280 miles.
Craig has been working tirelessly to take part in and finish 15 ultramarathons, including the 53-mile Highland Fling Race.
“When I started my role at Xeretec two years ago, most of my colleagues thought I was joking when I explained that I run ultra distances, as they’d never heard of somebody running such long distances,” Craig said.
“The team I work with are very supportive and are always keen to hear about my next adventure.
“My working day consists of sales processes, monthly forecasts and weekly reports, so my free time couldn’t be spent more differently.
“Training for ultramarathons is intense, but extremely important, as I would never want to go in unprepared. I love the balance I have in my life, so I’m very lucky to have a very understanding wife and family.
“On average, I tend to run 70 miles per week including speed, hill and endurance sessions.
“This sounds a lot, but a big part of training is preparing yourself mentally for what you’re going to be put up against. I take part in ultramarathons because I love running, I’m going to be competing for as long as my body lets me.”