A mountain rescue volunteer from Crickhowell completed a non-stop foot race which was more than 100 miles long in 60 hours.

Retired police officer Andrew Geeson took part in the Montane Mountain Rescue Team Challenger, one race in a series called The Spine which is along the route of the Pennine Way in North England, to raise money for Longtown Mountain Rescue Team.

Going between Edale and Hawes, the 61-year-old Longtown MRT volunteer will have only 60 hours - starting Saturday, January 8 and ending last Monday, January 10 - to complete the treacherous and iconic path through Yorkshire.

Despite around 30 people starting the treacherous race, only six people finished due to the terrible weather conditions.

Exhausted Andrew, who had a full hip replacement in July last year, finished fifth and was “just in the nick of time” before the 60 hour time limit ran out.

The 61-year-old told The Brecon & Radnor Express: “I finished just in the nigh of time. I was the fifth entrant to cross the finish line and only six of us finished.

“It was really bad - there was lots of snow, ice and rain so it was really difficult. A lot of people stopped because of the weather.We started at 8 o’clock on Saturday morning, and it was non-stop from them. I managed to get a couple of hours sleep in the early hours of Monday morning but it’s mad the things you do to keep yourself going.”

Despite the challenges of the route, including ice, snow, strong winds and water up to his ankles, Andrew was determined to keep going.

He said: “It was just awful, but people had given so generously and I couldn’t bare the thought of not doing it.”

When asked about the worst part of the experience, he said: “There were a few things but the sleep deprivation and that you’re walking 108 miles”

The Longtown MRT volunteer actually walked further than the 108 miles as he attempted to help find another person on the race who had gone off track and because of diversions in place.

Andrew, pictured above, said: “It was miles from the end and the HQ rang me and asked if I could go to check because this guy had gone off course. I tried but I couldn’t locate him, so they sent their safety team out to find him. In his exhaustion, he’d shut down.”

While the race is walking-based, it is over mixed-terrain with the risk of battling various winter elements.

Andrew, who also had swollen feet by the end, said that he was up to his ankles in ice cold water as well as dealing with hidden ice.

He said: “In some places, you’ve got ice which has been covered with more water so you can’t really see it.

“There were falls and tumbles from the start. I won’t be taking it on again and I wouldn’t encourage anyone else to unless they really want to do it and they know what they’re doing.”

So far, Andrew has raised £525 for Longtown MRT - the rescue team based in Abergavenny which also covers the Black Mountains.

One of the newer members with the group, Andrew said: “It [money raised] all helps, I am very grateful. It all helps to keep the team going.”

One of the newer members with Longtown MRT, which is based in Abergavenny, Andrew worked as a police officer for 30 years - 11 years in London and the rest in the Dyfed-Powys Police area - before he retired in 2014.

Andrew said: “If like me you love the outdoors please consider making a donation to the team to allow the volunteers to respond 24/7 because none of us know when a slip tumble or fall could end an adventure.”

Andrew joined Longtown MRT in January 2020, however because of Covid-19 he was unable to attend any callouts initially - he did however attend all training both in person and online.

Since being double jabbed in April last year, Andrew has started attending callouts to people in need in the Black Mountains and the surrounding area.

While he is no longer fighting crime, Andrew still enjoys gardening for a “few lovely clients” and he enjoys his allotment in Crickhowell.

He told The Brecon & Radnor Express that his main hobby is trail running, although it’s “more walking these days”.

He said: “I’ve done six London Marathons over the years and raised money for a number of good causes. I did the Marathon Des Sables in 2014 and with help from lots of people in Brecon, I managed to raise over £3,500 for the Help for Heroes charity. I enjoyed it that much I went back in 2015 just for fun and knocked 150 places off my finish place.”

It’s not too late to support Andrew - to donate towards his incredible effort, visit his Facebook fundraising page Andrew’s Fundraiser for Longtown Mountain Rescue Team by clicking here.