As feats of endurance goes, it will take some beating. The prospect of travelling more than 50 miles by foot or on a bicycle in a single day would be daunting enough for many. To be told this journey would then need to be repeated more than 30 times and that it would also involve climbing the equivalent of Mount Everest 16 times turns it into something that only an extraordinary athlete could possibly achieve.

Step forward Jamie Aarons, who has just set a new record of 31 days, ten hours and 27 minutes for scaling all 282 of Scotland’s Munros. She beat the previous fastest time, set by ex-marine Donnie Campbell by more than 12-and-a-half hours, partly by choosing to have less sleep than he did. In total, she travelled 817 miles on foot, 776 by bicycle and seven by kayak, while ascending 135,366m (444,114ft).

Aarons is a shining example of what humans can do at the peak of physical fitness. Whatever our level, we should all be inspired to tackle our “own personal Everest”, or indeed Everests, by such a remarkable achievement.

Jamie Aarons' new Munro record is an inspiration to all – Scotsman comment

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