Ian Hammett from Bedfordshire is due to take part in the Spartathlon on 27 and 28 September, an exhausting 153 mile race from Athens to Sparta in Greece, a distance that athletes must cover in 36 hours.

To help him prepare for the conditions he will face during the race, Ian has been training in the environmental chamber at the University’s Human Performance Centre at the Bedford campus.

We turned up the heat @UoB_HPC @UoB_SSPA today, as @jeffaldous pushed my core temp up in prep for @spartathlonGR with just over two weeks to go, the team @uniofbeds are getting me race ready and working me hard!! Look out for the press release from today’s session! #ultrarunner pic.twitter.com/MMKXHceoYk

— Ian Hammett (@RunHammyRun) September 11, 2019

“Using the Human Performance centre at the University of Bedfordshire supervised by Dr Jeff Aldous and his team has been the best possible way to acclimate to the likely weather conditions that I will face in Greece,” said Ian, who represents the  British Spartathlon Team.

“They have taken me beyond my comfort zone and exposed me to conditions that it would otherwise be impossible to replicate unless I was in Greece itself and have ensured that they will leave me in the best condition possible before I fly to Athens to attempt to complete this epic race.

“Whilst there are hotter races, and more mountainous, it is the aggressive cut off times at each 5k checkpoint that truly test us to complete the course in under 36 hours.”

Dr Jeff Aldous from the School of Sport Science & Physical Activity said: “It’s a pleasure for us to be able to help Ian prepare for the Spartathlon and we wish him the best of luck.

“We are always pleased to welcome athletes into our sporting facilities – not only to help local athletes train for their events in the community, but to give our students first-hand experience applying the practical skills they have gained whilst at university.”

To find out more about the University’s Human Performance Centre, visit: https://www.beds.ac.uk/humanperformance/