A WHARFEDALE councillor has completed an ultra-marathon in Cambodia - one year to the day after suffering a major heart attack.

Councillor Ryk Downes (Lib Dem, Otley & Yeadon) owes his life to the passersby who administered first aid when he collapsed while out running in Pool-in-Wharfedale on January 22, 2016.

Since then, and following a triple heart bypass, Cllr Downes - a Pool resident - has wasted no time in getting his running shoes back on and undertaking a string of races, including fundraisers.

He ranks the 40 mile run he completed in Cambodia exactly 12 months after, as he put it, 'dying while out running' among the best he has ever taken part in.

He said: "It was such an awesome place to race in, though the fact that this was a year to the day from my heart attack and I was so lucky to be there was always at the front of my mind.

"I headed out in the pitch black at 5am from The Terrace of Elephants, at Angkor Thom Temple, and there were so many spectacular sights along the route."

Cllr Downes - sporting an Otley Athletic Club top - and his fellow runners crossed rivers, took on steep climbs and passed lots of ancient temples, with temperatures rising to 33 degrees Centigrade.

He crossed the finishing line, brandishing a Union flag, in ninth place for his age group.