Mark Townsend and Julie Gardener raise a glass at the end of the South West Coast Path

A pair of ultrarunners smashed the record for completing England’s longest national trail.

Mark Townsend and Julie Gardener’s traverse of the South West Coast Path also helped raise cash for the upkeep of the trail.

The pair beat the previous record for the 1,014km (630-mile) route by almost two days.

The runners set off from Minehead on 27 April aiming to complete the path in 16 days, but beat their own expectations by arriving at South Haven Point at Poole, the eastern terminus of the route, in 14 days, 14hrs 45mins.

The previous record holder, Malcolm Law, completed the South West Coast Path in16 days 9hrs 57mins.

Mr Townsend is managing director of Contours Walking Holidays and he and his running companion received support from company staff along the way.

The effort involved 50 baked potatoes, five pairs of running shoes, 60 litres of water, 150 cups of tea and coffee, one lost rucksack and a campervan crisis.

En route, the pair tackled 920 stiles, 300 bridges, 7,000 steps, river crossings, ferry encounters and almost 35,031m (114,931ft) of ascent, almost four times the height of Everest.

Money from the challenge will go to the South West Coast Path Association, which has a footpath repair programme.

Mr Townsend said: “Knowing that our achievement would fund improvement projects along the path really spurred us on.

“The coastline is so stunning and varied that it deserves our support.”

The runners have set themselves a target of raising £4,000 through their justgiving page.