FROM Poland to Pembrokeshire, Amy Freeman is happy to clock up the miles both home and abroad.

Just weeks after coming first in her age group in an ultra trail race in Poland, the Darwen Dasher enjoyed a podium finish at the Pembrokeshire 100 - a 100 mile non-stop off-road race along the Welsh coast.

The challenging ultra-race along the stunning Pembrokeshire Coastal Path starts from Dale, just outside Milford Haven and ends in St Dogmaels, Cardigan - and Freeman was more than happy to take in the scenery.

“It was a great run and I made sure I stopped to take a few photos before getting my head down,” said Freeman who clocked 26 hours 18minutes, to finish second lady and third finisher overall.

“It was my first outright podium finish and it was brilliant that it was a two thirds female podium, with only one man ahead.”

Freeman, 35, admits she enjoys the challenge of running the longer distances.

“It’s more of a journey than a race and I really enjoy it,” she said. “Getting to that sort of distance is something you have to work up to but you just set yourself goals and see if you can achieve them.

“Pembrokeshire was only the second 100 mile race I have taken part in but I would much rather be running off road and on trails than around a running track.”

A couple of weeks earlier, Freeman was one of six Dashers who made the trip to Poland to compete in the Gorce Ultra Trail - a series of gruelling races over the course of a weekend in August.

Along with Iain Asher, she competed in the 102km race, a race that set off at 4am and took in 14,000ft of climbing around Gorce National Park.

Despite the long distance, it took a sprint finish to separate Freeman and her closest rival - with the lead changing hands several times - before she crossed the line as first lady and also won her age category.

“My Polish was limited to ‘hello and thank you’ so I had no idea I was first woman when we passed through the check points until another running came sprinting past me,” she said. “It was then a case of getting in to race mode and trying to get home first which thankfully I did.

“None of us had been to Poland before but we saw it online and it looked stunning. It was a little bit like stepping back in time but it was beautiful!”

Asher also impressed as he finished seventh in his age category.

Other Dashers to make the trip to southern Poland were Claire and Gareth Davies, Sue Asher and Amy’s husband Joel.

Sue and Joel competed in the 20km race, finishing in just under three hours while Claire clocked eight and a half hours in the 48km event having to run solo after husband Gareth was forced to withdraw with a back injury.

Freeman, originally from Warwickshire, has been a member of Darwen Dashers for the last five years.

“It is a great club,” she said. “Most of the friends I have made since being up here have been through the Dashers and it has been very welcoming.”