HE must be one of Suffolk's fittest policemen having just completed one of the world's toughest physical challenges - swimming six miles, cycling 260 miles and running a double marathon in just 30 hours.

Russell Claydon

HE must be one of Suffolk's fittest policemen having just completed one of the world's toughest physical challenges - swimming six miles, cycling 260 miles and running a double marathon in just 30 hours.

PC Simon Bourne, who is stationed in Bury St Edmunds, finished a highly-creditable 13th in the gruelling “Ultraman” challenge in Canada at the weekend.

He set a new British record after a punishing keep-fit routine during which he is also benefitting from on-the-job exercise pursuing fleeing crooks on foot.

But as soon as he is back in Suffolk, showing rookie bobbies the ropes, PC Bourne will resume his punishing training schedule after learning in Canada that he has earned a place in the next world championship event in Hawaii next year.

PC Bourne thinks nothing of a 100-mile sprint bike run and has pedalled more than 2,500 miles in training so far this year - the equivalent of Rome and back - and the 5ft 6ins tall, nine and half stone former RAF PT instructor will often fit in a six-mile river swim before breakfast.

He said: “I had to do well but it's not just a physical endurance challenge but a mental one too. My strategy was a simple one - race hard, race clever and get into the world championships in Hawaii next year - one of their judges was watching.”

“Competing at this level means I have to keep my fitness at its peak - but it's a mental challenge as well as a physical one. You may hit the wall thirty miles into the run but you know you have got another twenty to go so you simply have to overcome the pain.”

The 45-year-old was only five minutes outside the time he set himself and he hopes to have raise hundreds of pounds for cancer research and the armed services charity, Help for Heroes.