But it did for Jo Blake, of Illawong, who won the gruelling 240-kilometre Coast to Kosci race climbing to the summit of Mount Kosciuszko.

Starting at Boydtown Beach at 5.30am, Blake ran the entire course, only stopping momentarily for toilet breaks and to put on warmer clothing.

"Aside from that you keep moving even if you were drinking or eating,'' Blake, 44, said.

"I've built up in terms of ultra running. I did my first one in 2002 and I've gradually increased my training.''

After finishing the race as a runner-up in 2008, Blake was determined to go one better last month.

He broke the race record by more than an hour, leaving the two-time defending

champion Tim Cochrane in his wake.

"You have a crew drive along with you and they will generally be three to four kilometres ahead,'' Blake said.

"They will stop and wait for you. It's a real team effort and you couldn't do it at the pace that I did on your own.''

His training sometimes includes running from his Illawong home to his workplace at Neutral Bay. The 60-kilometre trip is the perfect preparation for the accountant.

"Early on in the race you eat food that's a bit more solid, like muffins, biscuits and Vegemite sandwiches,'' Blake said.

"As you go longer it gets harder to get that food down, so you eat things like diced fruit, tinned spaghetti and you combine that with Powerade, soups, lollies and chocolate.''

While he may look at defending his title later this year Blake wants to contest the world 24- hour race in France in May and then the Spartathlon a race from Sparta to Athens in September in Greece.

"You're torn between defending your Coast to Kosci title and leaving the record on the table and seeing if anyone can beat it,'' Blake said.