WHEN you want to beat the Marines, send in a couple of girls. That was the tongue-in-cheek message last night as early finishers nursed bruised and sun-baked bodies after Britain's toughest endurance event.

The Island Peaks Race is a weekend of maritime masochism and machismo: 160 miles of sailing, from Oban to Troon, plus 60 miles of running and 11,500 feet of climbing on some of Britain's toughest mountains.

Whisper it quietly, however: leading runners among the crews home last night in the Derakane-sponsored event were two women: internationalists Helene Diamantides and Angela Mudge, almost an hour faster than Billy and Dave Rogers from Lochaber, members of the Royal Marines.

Back in the mess, this may take some living down, lads.

Protestations that they had to negotiate Goatfell in the dark, with torches strapped to their headgear, while the women tackled the mountain in daylight, were greeted with illuminating feminist humour until John Coyle and Joe Blackett, from Third Degree, pipped the women with a total time of 11-18-30 last night.

Although Uhuru Microstation, an F27 trimaran with the Rogers brothers on board, docked at Troon first, overall winners in a total elapsed time of 43hr 17min 42sec, the brothers had taken 12-29-58 to negotiate the ascents of Ben More (Mull, 966 metres and 22 miles), the Paps of Jura (734m, 755m, 784m, 18 miles) and Goatfell (Arran, 874m, 18 miles). The two women, on board Matilda, skippered by former winner Curly Mills, from Kinghorn, completed the three climbs in 11-37-38.

Uhuru, skippered by former Great Britain 470-class Olympian Peter Newlands, from Cowes, had a protracted duel with an identical tri, Eezie Ozie. Just one minute separated them leaving Craighouse, but on a weekend when for long periods, yachts were painted ships on a painted sea, Uhuru finally escaped to freedom rounding the Mull of Kintyre, and had almost two hours to spare at the line.

Defiant II, with Kerrara's Round Britain helmsman, Jon Fitzgerald, on board, was first monohull.

Many of the yachts had to be rowed in the windless conditions, and most of the youth teams, with pupils due to sit exams today, were among nearly 30 of the 61 starters to abandon and switch on the engine.

Paddling throughout was the unenviable lot of a team of three kayakers, which included four British Winter Olympians: Patrick Winterton, Mike Dixon, Mark Blyth, and Mark Gee. On a training stint, near Tiree, a 20-foot basking shark ''with a mouth the size of a dustbin'' surfaced on alternate sides of their craft. This weekend's ultimate ordeal was ashore - a back-breaking six-mile portage, and 430-foot climb, across Kintyre, from Kennacraig to Claonaig. Details:

1, Uhuru Microstation (F27, Peter Newlands, Cowes) 43-17-42; 2, Eezie Ozie (F27, Norman Ferguson, Rye) 45-16-00; 3, Matilda (F31 Tri, Curly Mills, Kinghorn) 51-03-00; 4, Defiance II (Beneteau, Ian McCabe, Helensburgh) 51-26-00; 5, Duckwall Pooley (Beneteau, Jonathan Anderson, Kilmacolm) 52-33-25.