Ultra runner Sharon Gayter suffered a body-blow when failing to snatch the world 12-hour record in an international race in France. The Guisborough athlete, sponsored by supermodel Elle MacPherson, had to settle for a course record and a trophy in winning the women's event in Amagney. Sharon, chasing the world record of 134 kilometres, eventually passed the deadline with 119.6 kilometres under her belt. She said: "I knew that I could break the world record if the conditions were right. "But it was much too hilly and it was bitterly cold. "I started off well, and reached my target of 12k for each of the first four hours. "But I had to put on another jacket and extra clothing to try to keep out the cold. "In the end it was much too cold to run 11 kilometres an hour for the last eight hours." Sharon and husband Bill drove to the race in a camper van, including a nine-hour non-stop drive through France. The long drive home added to the frustration but Sharon has little time to dwell on her performance. Her major target in 2005 is once again the world 24-hour championships. She said: "I was very disappointed not to have done better in the 24 hours this year. "But the course let me down with all the tight corners. "Next year it moves to Austria, in July, and that's when I intend to peak again." Sharon will also be running the Anglo Celtic 100k Plate in Dublin in April, and the Spartathlon, a 246k race from Athens to Sparta, in September. She will also be testing herself in one of the big 48-hour races in France or the United States. And Sharon will be looking forward to meeting Elle MacPherson again if the Australian superstar makes a return visit to the North-east. Sharon, who works as a part-time masseur, was called in to give Elle and members of her entourage a massage. It wasn't easy as Sharon is still recovering from a broken thumb. But the sessions allowed the pair to maintain their strong friendship which has developed over the past couple of years. | 
