Charity fundraisers Dave Savage and Martyn Kennaugh have completed their extraordinary challenge to swim the Solent, run around the Isle of Wight and then swim back again in just three days.
The two men, from Southampton, set off on Monday to swim 3.5 miles from Gosport, on the mainland, to Ryde on the Island. They then ran 20 miles.
Day two saw Dave, 39, and 37-year-old Martyn run a gruelling 30 mile ‘ultra marathon’ which tested the limits of their endurance to the very end – but they weren’t finished there!
The third day saw them run a further 10 miles – before getting back into the water to swim back across The Solent from Ryde to Stokes Bay in Gosport.
The Solent’s treacherous tides weren’t kind to the two men as they left Ryde at around 5pm for a swim expected to take under three hours.
In the end, it took 45 minutes longer than anticipated before Dave and Martyn emerged exhausted on the beach at Stokes Bay, greeted by a huge crowd including family, friends and supporters.
Dave, a former triathlete who took part in the 2002 Commonwealth Games, embarked on the challenge after suffering a cancer scare two years ago. The money raised will find a new scanner to be used at Southampton General Hospital to help detect early signs of pancreatic cancer.
He said: “I’m exhausted. It’s been tougher than I ever imagined anything could be – but it’s been worth it to see everyone on the beach greeting Martyn and I. When it got hard, I got myself through it be trying to think of the reasons we set out in the first place. I wanted to stop others from going through what I went through with my scare.’’
Martyn, a club athlete, lost his father Terry, aged 63, to pancreatic cancer two years ago. He fought back from an Achilles tendon injury to complete the challenge.
“It’s be agony. But the support we’ve had on the way round the Isle of Wight has been amazing. When I was struggling, I thought about my dad and it helped to get me through,’’ he said.
The pair are aiming to raise £25,000 to fund the new scanner and are planning a charity ball in September to help meet their target. Find out more about the Great Wight Attack Ball.|
Read more about the challenge.|
Make a donation to the Great Wight Attack.
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Posted on Friday 29 July 2011