A SUFFOLK policeman who usually walks the beat in a sleepy market town is celebrating after swimming, running and cycling to victory in one of the world’s toughest challenges.

Pc Simon Bourne, 49, has just completed the 12-day Decaman challenge, during which he swam 24 miles, cycled 1,120 miles and ran 262 miles – the equivalent of 10 marathons.

Temperatures at the sports ground in Monterrey, Mexico, where the challenge took place reached 100 degrees, and the man dubbed ‘Robocop’ by his colleagues in Bury St Edmunds was only able to snatch two hours’ sleep a day.

Pc Bourne, who weighs just nine stones and is 5ft 4in, finally finished in 278 hours, 51 minutes and 57 seconds, beating his closest rival, 29-year-old American Kale Poland, by several hours.

As he recovered from post-challenge exhaustion the former RAF physical training instructor and mountaineer admitted: “It was the toughest challenge I have ever faced in my life. I have lost over a stone in weight, my feet are covered in blisters, my shins are in splints and it is now very painful even to walk.

“I was regularly checked over by doctors to make sure my heart was strong enough and my blood pressure OK.

“It was as much a mental challenge as a physical one and at times I was in tears. I was so tired that I fell asleep on the bike and was lucky not to have a serious accident.”

Pc Bourne put himself through a punishing training regime before he flew to Mexico, including running a marathon to work at his current posting in Haverhill and back on a daily basis, as well as cycling 200 miles against the clock.

Now the official world Decaman champion, Pc Bourne received just a small medal for his efforts.