THE nation's finest super-fit athletes are set to descend on Bury to test themselves against the region's most demanding duathlon.

More than 100 competitors will pack the course on foot and mountain bikes in the off-road duathlon in the north west.

The race, which is run on Sunday June 9, starts with a 4.5km return run from Holcombe Brook to Holcombe Tower.

From there the athletes will take to their bikes and cycle 12km across the West Pennine Walk - usually closed to cyclists - before finishing the gruelling course with another 4.5km run across Ministry of Defence land.

Entries have been flooding in from across the country, with some travelling from as far as Newcastle, Wales and London to compete.

The event, which is run as part of Ramsbottom Sports Week, has been organised by experienced marathon runner Vincent Ashton, who said the course would be a real test for even the experienced duathletes.

"It's more of a challenge than a race," he said.

"I'm a member of the Ramsbottom Sports Advisory Council and the main complaint we get about Ramsbottom Sports Week every year is that there aren't any 'extreme' events for the younger generations to take part in. So I came up with this idea.

"We expect the winners to finish in around 70 or 80 minutes but that's only the fanatics. Some people are entering as teams because the race will be that tough."

Deadline for entries is June 1. Entry fees cost £10 for those living within a five-mile radius of Holcombe Brook, £15 for others and £25 per team of three. Contact Vincent on 01706 821277 for more information.