NATHAN Montague has revealed he pushed himself to the limit as he tried to help England defend their team crown at the Anglo-Celtic Cup 100k race over the Easter weekend.

Despite struggling for long periods of the race held near Newport, the Swindon Harrier ultra international knew he had to finish after leading England runner Jez Bragg dropped out leaving the England squad with just the three scorers required to count.

“It was one of those races that felt like a very hard day at the office and I had to dig really deep,” said Montague.

“It wasn’t the slowest time I have ever run for 100k and neither was it the quickest but it was definitely the hardest but somehow I kept myself going to the finish.”

Montague said he started sensibly and stuck to his own pace schedule, which is one of his strengths in this type of racing, over the two-mile loops on a cold and wet day in Newport.

“I was sensible and didn’t go off too hard and felt my pace was fine, but then around 55k, the wheels came off,” added Montague.

“I have to admit that both physically and mentally I was totally gone and it was only knowing that I needed to finish for the team that helped to keep me going, plus I had terrific support from the team management who were very supportive when I needed it.

“Everything was screaming at me to stop, but fortunately with 12 miles to go, I got my rhythm back and hauled myself over the finish line.”

Sadly, Montague’s heroic effort wasn’t enough to ensure England retained their title as the strong trio from Scotland defeated them as they took first, fourth and fifth for a faster cumulative time.

“That capped a bad day but I would have had to run a lot quicker to have affected the cumulative time,” said Montague.

“But I went there with the aim of running inside 7hrs 15mins and I had to settle for 7hrs 59mins, which is very disappointing.

“But in all honesty, I can say that in terms of effort and giving everything on the day, I could not have done any more. I had nothing left to give so I can take satisfaction with that, but as to why that happened, it is something I am going to have reflect on more closely.”