A woman has virtually run across the whole of the UK to win a national competition.

Lynn Sparrey, a member of Bannatyne's Just Fitness Health Club, in Coulby Newham, Middlesbrough, beat more than 5,000 fitness fanatics to win the Tour of Bannatynes.

The competitors were challenged to cycle, walk or run to cover the distance between all of the fitness firm's clubs, from Eastbourne to Aberdeen, in the quickest time possible.

A yellow jersey was awarded to the leaders at each point of the race and the first five people to cross the halfway point won a mountain bike.

Mrs Sparrey, a manager at the health and social care department at Stockton Borough Council, said: "I completed most of the tour on the treadmills and it was a great way to motivate myself to work harder every time I went to the gym. I usually go three or four times a week and to win both a mountain bike and the overall prize was a huge surprise."

She won a weekend at the New Grange Hotel, in Darlington, as the overall prize.