A BRETFORTON daredevil is aiming for a top three championship finish as he gears up for his latest gruelling 145-mile non-stop race next month.

Phil Spiers is currently in training for his next two Ultra Running events over the next couple of months.

Racing in aid of Evesham Sea Cadets, the 36-year-old will take part in the Grand Union Canal Run (GUCR) on May 28. This is a 145-mile non-stop from Gas Street in Birmingham to Little Venice in London, following the route of the Grand Union Canal.

His second ultra race is the Ultra 100 on June 29. This is a 100-mile non-stop race, starting at Stratford Racecourse and looping through the Cotswolds and finishing back at the racecourse. Spiers finished fifth in this challenge last year.

This event is part of a series called the 9bar Ultra UK Championship. To qualify, competitors have to run five of the nine events.

Spiers has completed three of the year’s races and is currently eighth in the championship. However, the GUCR is not part of the championship and he is treating it as a training exercise for later events.

Spiers said: “I have been running on and off for the last 13 years but have only taken up the ultra running aspect seriously in the last year.

“My average weekly mileage is around 50 miles over five runs a week. By the time I get to the start line of the GUCR, I will have completed over 100 miles in training this year.

“My first competitive ultra was the Ultra 100 last June in which I finished fifth. I was then hooked.”

To support Spiers, raising funds for Evesham Sea Cadets, email info@eveshamseacadets.co.uk, or call (01386) 8333383.

To read his blog, go to phil-annas-world.blogspot.com Spiers’ 2011 Ultra Running record so far this season and upcoming fixtures: January 21: Ultra 90 - day one, 11th place; Jan 22: Ultra 90 - day two, ninth; March 6: Grantham Ultra - sixth; May 28: GUCR; June 24: Ultra 100; Aug 21: Ultra Peak 40; Oct 9: Nottingham Ultra.