A Cheshire man has set a new record completing a 150-mile ultra marathon in the Namib Desert in just over 24 hours.

Alexander Welch, from Wilmslow, won the 2025 Desert Ultra Men’s Race hours ahead of his nearest competitors, finishing the extreme run in 24 hours and 27 minutes.

His time beats the previous course of 25 hours 7 minutes which was set by American runner Adam Kimble in 2018.

Earlier this year, Alex completed two other events in the Global Race Series, winning the Ice Ultra in February and placing in the top three in the Mountain Ultra challenge in June. The series has pushed him through some of the world’s toughest environments, from –35°C temperatures in the Arctic tundra to 35°C heat in Namibia.

Race organisers Beyond the Ultimate confirmed his victory on Instagram, congratulating the athlete and calling him “a beast of a competitor and a brilliant runner.”

In an interview with the BBC, Alex said that despite the immense physical and mental demands, crossing the finish line was “a massively emotional moment” and that he sees each endurance race as an opportunity for personal growth.

The Global Race Series comprises four extreme ultra-marathon events held across the Arctic Circle, the Amazon Rainforest, the Namib Desert and the Tian Shan Mountains in Kyrgyzstan.

According to the BBC, Alex plans to enter the Jungle Ultra marathon in Peru next year and the Mountain Ultra in Kazakhstan in 2027.