AN UNUSUAL diet of cheese and pickle sandwiches and mini Mars bars enabled a Whitefield woman to successfully complete an endurance course designed for Gurkha training.

Gill Meller (32), formerly of Hastings Close and now living in Hong Kong, undertook the 100km race as part of a four-strong team in aid of Oxfam.

Known as the Oxfam Trailwalker, participants have to walk over the MacLehose Trail which runs through eight country parks and over around 20 hills in the New Territories of Hong Kong.

Not accustomed to such exertion, Gill relied on her strange food combination plus four months of training and "sheer bloody-minded determination" to raise around £3,500 for the charity.

Gill, who works as a solicitor for the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) in Hong Kong, said the walk was broken down into ten stages and she and her team had been advised to take each stage at a time.

She said: "The first stage is a 'one booter' - the stages are roughly classified into one, two and three boots - and consists of a gentle 10k stroll around a reservoir. Stages two, three and four are where it starts to get trickier. They take about 12 hours to complete and take you tantalisingly close to halfway. Stage two is one of the most beautiful along the trail and has scenery that most people wouldn't expect from Hong Kong."

The trailwalkers continued the challenge through the night and had to battle against fireflies as well as rough terrain.

Stage eight involved climbing Tai Mo Shan which, at almost 1000m, is Hong Kong's highest mountain but then it was all down hill for the last 20k.

Gill's team finally shuffled over the finish line 31 hours and 36 minutes after they started, ranking them a creditable 245th out of 1,000 teams.

The former Heaton Park Primary and Bury Grammar pupil said: "It was the hardest physical and mental challenge that I think any of us have ever faced and it made me realise just what you can achieve if you really put your mind and body to it. It was a huge personal challenge which I couldn't have done without my team. And by that I mean the four of us who actually completed the walk, the support team and all those who sponsored us and sent messages of support along the way."

Gill's parents Brian and Pat are still collecting sponsor money for their daughter, donations should be sent to 2, Hastings Close, Whitefield, M45 6UQ.

Mr Meller said: "Gill feels very proud of her achievements and looking back on it she can't believe she had done it."

Gill's team did so well, in terms of the speed completing the course and the amount they raised, that they are guaranteed automatic entry into next year's event - a 'reward' Gill is still considering.