Orkney’s ultra-man William Sichel rolled back the years at the weekend by winning the Hull 24-Hour-Race, his first victory in that distance since January 2005.

William completed 116 miles in the allocated time, beating countryman Grant Jeans and Swede Reima Hartikeinen by a stretch of eight miles.

William stuck to his race plan and gradually moved up the field as adverse weather conditions affected all 45 starters.  He took the lead with about three hours to go and gradually pulled clear of his nearest rivals.

Torrential rain greatly hampered everyone’s progress, and many runners were forced to pull out short of the finishing gun.

The- 55-year-old, who has turned his hand to specialising in longer events such as 6-day-racing, expressed his surprise and delight at claiming the crown.

“It’s fantastic for me to win again at 24-hours, which ironically is a bit short for me these days, now that I specialise in multi-day events.”