Supergran Eleanor struck gold in duathlon

Eleanor, 68, who was one of more than 800 competitors in the championships, took the gold medal in the women’s 65-to-69 years section of the event.

Leabrooks mum-of-four Eleanor formerly gained worldwide fame, winning numerous awards as an ultra-distance runner, and was tempted back to international competition by the duathlon event, which includes running and cycling.

Earlier this year she took the bronze award in the standard event in Germany, and took home gold in the long-distance Copenhagen event – twice the standard distance.

She completed the distance – a 10km run, followed by a 60km cycle ride and a further 10km run, in three hours and 43 minutes.

She said: “I had 17 years away from international competitions, but this was an exciting new challenge, a different dimension – and I couldn’t turn it down.”

Eleanor, who is secretary of Ripley Running Club and coaches several beginners’ groups, is also team manager for the GB ultra-distance running team, a role which takes her all over the world.