‘It doesn’t sound fun, but it is’ – husband and wife who work at QA Hospital taking on ‘brutal’ 153-mile Spartathlon in Greece

He is set to compete in the 40th anniversary Spartathlon - a small matter of 153 miles from the Greek capital of Athens to Sparta - which starts later this month.

And this time his wife Sandra is also taking part in a race that celebrates the route Phillipedes took to warn the Spartans that the Persians were invading Athens.

Oh, and one other thing - competitors have to finish the gruelling race in 36 hours or they will be ‘timed’ out.

For that was the time it reportedly took Phillipedes to complete his legendary journey.

Back in 2018, Russell, 60, took part in the race - runners are selected via a ballot - but could ‘only’ manage 122 miles in 36 hours. The race starts at 7am on a Friday and finishes at 7pm the following day.

Four years ago, a medicane - a Mediterranean hurricane - contributed to Russell’s failure to complete the course. ‘It was absolutely horrendous weather,’ he recalled. ‘I wasn’t prepared for it - as the saying goes, if you fail to prepare, prepare to fail.’

Unsurprisingly, the qualifying standards are enough to bring even a casual jogger out in a cold sweat - men must complete 100 miles in 21 hours, with women given an extra hour for the same distance. Alternatively, entrants must have run 180k (men) or 170k (women) in a 24-hour period.

‘There’s nothing in it I won’t enjoy,’ said Russell, who like his wife works at QA Hospital. ‘It’s an absolutely immense race.

‘School kids come out of their classrooms to greet you on the route, and others will join you on the final 400m, then they’ll go back and accompany the next runner to the finishing line.’

Should she finish, Sandra, 57, will become the oldest woman ever to complete the Spartathlon - a stunning achievement, bearing in mind she has overcome breast cancer.

In 2019, after going through chemotherapy and radiation treatment, Sandra completed the 145-mile Grand Union Canal race, an ultra-gruelling event spanning the length of the canal from Birmingham to London.

If that sounds tough, Sandra competed in a far longer race in 2017 - the barely believable 250-mile epic Thames Ring race, starting at Streatley-on-Thames and following an anti-clockwise loop around the river.

All along the Spartathlon route - around every three miles - are checkpoints that all runners have to clock in by. ‘There’s something called the ‘Death bus’,’ quipped Russell. ‘If it catches up with you, you’re on it.’

The route takes in major roads, with everyday traffic - including lorries - thundering past just feet from the Spartathletes.

Around the 100-mile mark is a mountain, where runners must climb around 1,000 feet.

And it can be hot. Very hot. ‘Temperatures can be around the 35 mark,’ remarked Russell. ‘Going through some villages, it can get to 40-42.’

To help with their training, the Tulletts have been visiting a heat chamber at Chichester University.

‘You are not running fast,’ said Russell. ‘You can basically jog for 100 miles or so. For me, finishing the race would be the same as winning it. Finishing in 35 hours and 59 minutes would be cutting it fine, but I’d be happy.

‘It’s hard enough to get the qualifying time, it’s hard enough to make the start line - it’s even harder to finish.

‘It doesn’t sound fun, but it is. It’s a brutal race, but it’s an amazing race, it’s an honour just to be part of it.’

The 40th anniversary Sparthlon starts on Friday, September 30 - in the shadow of the Acropolis in Athens - and finishes at 7pm in Sparta on October 1.