Running up Arthur's Seat 15 times a week is the norm for Edinburgh GP Dr Andrew Murray.

A jaunt up the capital's dormant volcano is just part of his 70-mile weekly routine while in training mode.

In between his roles as a GP and a sports and exercise medicine doctor for the European Tour Golf, sportscotland and Edinburgh University, the 35-year-old has found time to win the first Genghis Khan Ice Marathon in Outer Mongolia.

Having returned to Scotland, we caught up with the busy runner to find out more about his latest adventure.

What made you want to take on the Genghis Khan Ice Marathon?

The human body works best when it has a sense of purpose, something it is chasing.

It was a combination of taking on quite a hard, extreme race but also wanting to see out a Mongolian winter.

Hands down, it is definitely one of the most beautiful places you can go. It looks like a huge wedding cake with the mountains there and the blue sky, it is incredible.

What is it like battling sub-zero temperatures?

I think it is much easier running in extreme cold than it is running in the extreme heat. If it is -34C or -47C, you just need to wear more clothes and make sure everything is covered up and think about other things like keeping your food warm.

But if it is extremely hot, like this time last year when running in 45C, that's far harder because you can't take your skin off.

What number does this marathon come in at?

I once ran 78 consecutive ultra-marathons running from John o' Groats to the Sahara desert but I don't know if that counts as one or as 78?

Why do you keep putting yourself through these challenges?

I run because I really like it. It's my form of transport, it's the way I get my happy hormones going. It puts a big fat smile on my face so that's why I do it.

What was your favourite sight you passed while running?

I have two. Any marathon runner who tells you that they don't really enjoy the sight of the finish is telling you a lie. Coming around the corner and seeing this beautiful [building] with smoke billowing out the chimneys and hearing the huskies howling in the background was great.

And the first time we broke on to a river and you felt the ice beneath your feet and saw in front of you this long and open course. The air is so clear, there's no human habitation so you could see for 50 miles at a time.

That must have been nice after a few grey weeks in Edinburgh?

I am from Aberdeen originally so we are kind of used to the weather not being absolutely perfect. When we landed back, it was 2C and they were saying, 'Isn't it cold?' and I was thinking, 'No, this is like downtown Hawaii!'

How long did you train for this trip?

The difficulty I faced was not running the marathon - that's OK, I run marathons all the time. It was getting up the next day and running another 104km, so more than two marathons the next day.

I got up on Christmas Day and ran 26 miles, that's what it takes. It probably took 12 weeks to go from running the 70 miles a week I do normally training for marathons to around 120 miles.

Is the adrenalin still strong a few days on then?

Yeah and I've got man flu at the moment but I still feel good so it must be a good trick.

Any standout moments from this run that you'll never forget?

Sitting around the fire with new Mongolian friends in the warmth, having done the marathon.

Of the 12 competitors that were there this year, I think they had more than 700 marathons between them and had all run in extreme parts of the world and in very challenging conditions.

Where do you like training for when at home?

I probably go up Arthur's Seat about 15 times a week so I quite like that and I quite often go up the Pentlands.

Did you get any ideas from some of the other runners about where to run next?

I would like to go and do some more stuff in the Himalayas or Bolivia and Namibia is really special as well.