TAKING part in the world's longest kayak race, 460 miles of the Yukon river from Whitehorse to Dawson, 41-year-old Sharon Colley from Hereford, had just one goal when she set off - to finish in Dawson with a smile on her face.

When she did finish, a small matter of 49 hours and five minutes later, her legs were wobbling as if she had already spent a few days celebrating her effort of being the first solo female home.

Colley was only the second woman to finish inside 50 hours in the history of the race, and was beaten to the line by just two male competitors.

After a "Le Mans" style start of 500 metres running to her boat, she made some early headway before reaching the 31 miles of Lake Laberge, three hours later.

“The lake was horrible," she said. "And four-feet side waves made the crossing harder."

Relieved to rejoin the Yukon after taking five hours to cross the lake, Colley paddled continuously for more than 21 hours until she arrived in Carmacks for the mandatory seven-hour stop.

She was just three minutes behind the men's lead kayak. The priority was now to "shower, eat, sleep".

When asked what she would do to keep her focus in the rest of the race, Colley asserted that she would be thinking of having a beer at the finish.

Once back on the water, she passed safely through Five Finger Rapids and headed towards Dawson with another night and day of paddling towards the midnight sun.

"How are your hands and legs?,"

she was asked after also becoming the first British woman to complete the course solo.

She held up her shaking hands, soggy and blistered.

Then she staggered back a step.

“My legs have got a mind of their own and want to walk backwards.

My shoulders, my arms feel OK.

My hands are a bit blistered, weathered,” she said, adding with a laugh and the contented smile that she had promised herself at the start, that the seven-hour layover is not long enough.