First-foot Sichel is running Arizona

When the bells ring out to mark the beginning of the new year, Orkney ultradistance runner William Sichel will be 56 hours into a 72-hour race held in the grounds of an extensive Arizona estate.

The 56-year-old Great Britain international will be competing in the Across The Years race at Nardini Manor on the outskirts of Phoenix. The challenging contest begins at 4pm UK time on Monday and ends at 4pm on New Year's Day.

The 72-hour race, now in its 25th year, is the longest of three events being held at Nardini as athletes also have the option of tackling 24-hour or 48-hour runs.

Sichel is using the race as a final stepping-stone towards his second attempt later in the year at breaking Scotland’s oldest athletic record – running 567 miles in six days – which was set in 1882.

William, who will be supported in the US by Brechin runner Alan Young, is aiming to crack his best time for 48 hours in Phoenix before “hanging on" for another 24 hours to complete the challenge.

If all goes well, he'll hope to average over 100 miles per day. Sichel has already enjoyed success at this event, having won the 24-hour race in 2004.

He said: “It's one of the best organised events in the world with a purpose-built road course laid out around private grounds in Litchfield Park, Phoenix. I know that everything will be of the highest quality and it will be well worth running there.”

“Major improvements have been made to the course this year with the surface having been relaid and the course widened."

The race will be shown live on the internet via a webcam which is updated every 15 seconds. There's also a facility which allows messages to be sent to the runners.

Sichel said: “It would be great if people could send me messages of support. They get printed and passed to my crew who read them to me.”

Full details can be found at www.acrosstheyears.com