LINDO'S supermarket boss Giorgio Zanol keeps fit all day walking around the Devonshire store, but does that mean he's 'good to go' for an eight-day race covering 300kms across the rugged Alpine mountains of Germany, Austria and Italy?

We'll soon know the answer as Zanol is about to fly out to Europe to see if he can complete one of the toughest races on the calendar ¿ the Gore-Tex Transalpine Run.

And he won't be alone flying the flag for Bermuda across the roof of Europe, as he is teamed with ultra-distance running Islander Ian Coles, while his son Marco Zanol is pairing up with wife Judith Marsden.

There is no rest day and runners cover an average of a full marathon each day as well as more than 14,000 metres (almost nine miles) of uphill traverse at altitude.

For Zanol, who completed a 100km road race in Italy last year, it is a natural progression to a greater challenge.

He readily admits he might have bitten off more than he can chew ¿ especially as there are strict time-limits between various checkpoints on the course which, if not met, mean the faulting runner is pulled from the event.

At 67 years old, Zanol will be amongst the more senior of the masters taking part.

He'll once again be raising money for the Diabetic Association, but that aside, why is he going through with this?

"I don't think that any Bermudians have achieved this, so it will be an achievement for everyone," he said.

"I've always loved a challenge and I've always loved going into the mountains. If I did not do it I would always be thinking 'what would have happened?'"

The eight-day odyssey starts in Germany and follows a breathtaking, and extremely tough, off-road route through the Alpine peaks, crossing into Austria and then Italy for the finish.

Runners must carry a backpack with essential First Aid and change of clothing, including rainproof gear and gloves to cope with whatever is thrown at them ¿ which up in the Alps could be everything from brilliant sunshine to rain, snow and ice.

Up in the mountains the competitors will also have to rely on their wits to ensure they don't stray off course, and so all must carry compass and GPS-equipped watches.

Coles has already shown his mettle as an ultra-runner after racing through the Sahara, but for the other three Bermuda athletes it is new territory.

Zanol, who was brought up in the region of Italy close to where the race is held, knows Coles from having run together elsewhere, including at the London Marathon. As with all the two-person teams taking part, they must stay with two minutes of one another as they cross the various staging points on the route.

Zanol's son Marco and wife Judith have marathon racing experience, and Judith has been in Italy since early July to acclimatise and try out some mountain trail running.

The sport is known as sky running ¿ for obvious reasons and competitors must push themselves for up to 10 hours each day, facing leg-numbing uphills and downhills on rocky, uneven terrain that requires the runner to stay highly alert throughout.

Preparing for the adventure in Bermuda, with its mostly sea-level environs, has presented its own challenges.

Zanol said: "I've been doing some long runs in the heat as best I can ¿ not too fast, pacing myself. I do a lot of walking around the store, but you can't really prepare for this at sea level."

Son Marco has tried to replicate mountain running be working out on a treadmill with the incline set at its maximum of 12 percent. He said: "I went up a total of 900 metres in five miles, but that was with air conditioning and a TV in front of me."

Like his father, Marco also loves the mountains and the outdoors. He added: "Sky running is a big thing in Europe, and it is getting bigger.

"Running up the mountains taxes the cardiovascular system ¿ so that's hard. But then you start coming back down the other side and you think it's easier but your legs and muscles are worked so much you start having pains in muscles you didn't even know you had."

The race starts on August 30 in Ruhpolding, Germany and ends in Sexton in Italy on September 6.