Rinaldo Inäbnit used a rear-view mirror to overtake five other top athletes and run backwards for 7 miles (11 km) up the Stanserhorn mountain in the Swiss Alps.

None of the usual sporting metaphors apply to retro-runners: their spines rather than their chests cross the finishing line first, there is no last-second lunge and no race is ever neck-and-neck.

The run — contested by six highly toned Swiss and German athletes including one woman — was watched by hundreds of cheering spectators despite a heavy thunderstorm.

Retro-sport is fast becoming a cult, with enthusiasts in France, Finland and Italy as well as German-speaking Europe. “People think we’re not normal,” Mr Inäbnit told The Times, “but we’re simply using our bodies differently.”

Retro-athletes have to train their brains since co-ordination works completely differently. “Every extreme sport has its dangers — Formula One, bungee jumping. Our main risk is of collision.”

There were no physical crashes yesterday — thanks partly to Mr Inäbnit holding his mirror up for the whole 7 miles — but the race had been overshadowed by a clash between retro-sport organisations.

A rival organisation had tried to snatch the coveted title of “First Long Distance Reverse Race” by staging a 1km mountain race further along the valley. But yesterday’s race was regarded as definitive: much longer and much steeper, attracting the cream of backward sport.

“I’m not too bothered by the rival games,” Mr Inäbnit said. “My motto is, don’t look back in anger. We have to move forward backwards.”

The race was the climax of the backward world championships, which began in June and drew competitors from as far away as Taiwan.

A 25-year-old Austrian sports student, Simone Kühn, broke the world record for the backward 100m sprint with a time of 17.8 seconds. She won the same distance forwards with a time of 12.2 seconds.

The only track and field event where retro-athletes have an advantage is the 4x100m relay race since they can see the baton approaching.

As a voluntary social worker, Mr Herr Inäbnit has been teaching reverse football to schoolchildren. “Only the goalkeeper faces forwards,” he says. “Penalty shoot-outs are particularly tricky but as an Englishman you would know about that.”

The Swiss athlete’s introduction to backward sport was typical for his fellow sportsmen and women. “I was running uphill in the normal way, got puffed and noticed how good it was for my muscles if I turned round and trotted backwards.” Retro-running is hard, however, on the thigh muscles.

Mr Inäbnit won yesterday’s race with a time of 2hrs 43mins, 20 minutes ahead of his nearest rival. The last up the mountain was the German woman Bieke Detollenaere, who managed the backward ascent some 45 minutes later.

All contestants received a T-shirt that can be worn back to front and a chunk of Swiss cheese. The medals yesterday were strung around the neck but worn proudly backwards.

Times Recommends

• The truth behind Obama's meteoric ascent
• Christians flee Iraq amid religious cleansing
• Aid agencies: 5m face starvation in Zimbabwe