While running an average of six hours a day through the gruelling Himalaya in 27-degree heat, Lesley Mochan admits there were times she thought: ‘You idiot'.

But despite a few painful blisters and a little nausea, Lesley was surprised at how well her legs carried her through 200km of mountainous terrain in the six-day run she completed at the beginning of this month.

Tauranga endurance runner Lesley Mochan and Namgay at Phajoding Monastery. Photos: Supplied

'For me, having to come to terms with forcing food into my body and trying not to bring it back up again and running when you're feet are hurting was all mind games,” says the 52-year-old Tauranga endurance athlete, who's holding presentations about her adventure to raise awareness for the Kathmandu Animal Treatment Centre.

Lesley was the eldest female competitor of 33 others from around the world who completed the run organised by Global Limits, a company that organises extreme running events worldwide.

'We had the most wonderful time because we were staying in monasteries, farm houses or tents and we really got to know the local people,” says Lesley. 'It wasn't really about the run, it was about being part of the culture. But also running 200km at altitude which was another challenge.”

During her journey, Lesley raised $1000 for the Kathmandu Animal Treatment Centre – an organisation she's been involved in for the last seven years after completing the Everest Marathon in Nepal in 2007.

'I had this wonderful experience with a dog there that ran the marathon with me,” says Lesley. 'It was a brown dog with half a tail.”

It was the bond Lesley shared with that dog that inspired her to raise funds for the animal treatment centre.

It was also that experience that encouraged Lesley to complete more extreme events, so she signed up to the 200km run through Bhutan.

'I have a good friend who is an ultra-marathon runner.

'I said to him if I was to do one, just one, which one should I do and without hesitation he said Bhutan.”

Tauranga endurance runner Lesley Mochan at the swing bridge in Punakha.

Completing triathlons, multisport events and a few ironman events in her 10-year endurance career, Lesley says it was a matter of mixing up her training to simulate the altitude run in Bhutan.

'Obviously I couldn't simulate the altitude but I knew that we would be climbing or descending so I just ran hills, and I ran multiple days so my body was tired.”

Lesley is holding presentations about her Bhutan adventure at Bay of Plenty Polytechnic's Windemere Campus, room A4, on Wednesday from 12.15pm to 1pm and on July 15 from 5pm-6pm.

Presentations will also be held at BOP Polytechnic's Bongard Campus, room DT106, on July 16 from 5pm-6pm and July 29 from 7pm-8pm. Presentations are a gold coin donation, with funds going to the Kathmandu Animal Treatment Centre.

To donate, visit www.givealittle.co.nz/donate/cause/lesleyrunsbhutan4kat