Steve Prescott MBE described his latest charity challenge as "48 hours of mental and physical torture" as he and 29 others successfully swam, ran, cycled and canoed to Old Trafford from Hull via Liverpool.
This unique "quadrathon" began at the Humber Bridge in Hull on Thursday 4 October 2012, 48 hours before the kick-off of the Grand Final - the pinnacle of the Super League season.
Their mission was to deliver the match ball in time for the game after completing the following five tough legs:
1. swimming the Humber Estuary
2. cycling across the country from Hull to Liverpool (130 miles)
3. swimming the Mersey
4. running from Liverpool to the Runcorn Bridge (16 miles)
5. and finally; canoeing up the canal systems to Old Trafford (27 miles)
did they do it?
Yes... but the weather really did make them work for it!
With the heavy rainfall in the weeks before the challenge the estuary authorities deemed that the crossing of the Humber would have been far too dangerous to attempt. Therefore, in its place, the challengers opted to run across the Humber Bridge and complete a one mile open-water swim at the nearby Welton Waters.
From there the group cycled through the night in torrential rain arriving at Liverpool a little later than plan. The energy sapping ride came before a draining swim across a choppy Mersey river. Undefeated, everyone pushed on as they ran to Runcorn before an early morning start on Grand Final day and the last leg - 27 miles canoeing the canal to Old Trafford.
Steve delivered the match ball in front of a crowd of 70,676 and the team had completed the challenge and surpassed their fundraising target of £30,000 in the process.
Take a look at the videos and pictures below.
Steve gets the 'green light' to take part
The Granada news cameras follow Steve Prescott MBE as he visits his specialist at The Christie to find out if he could take part in the challenge.
view the route and meet Jimmy Gittins
Steve explains what lies ahead as we join him at one of his training sessions. He also introduces the inspirational Jimmy Gittins who took part despite breaking his neck whilst playing rugby league 10 years ago.
the challenge - an unforgettable 48 hours
Our cameras follow Steve and the team all the way to Old Trafford. See how the weather adds to the magnitude of the task. No wonder Steve described it as "48 hours of mental and physical torture"!
donate
If you would like to donate to this impressive charity challenge you can use either of Steve or Jimmy's fundraising pages.
Your donation will go to The Steve Prescott Foundation and will be split between The Christie Charitable Fund and the Rugby League Benevolent Fund.
Simply follow the links below:
justgiving.com/StevePrescott1
justgiving.com/jimmy-gittins
