Ex-Royal Marine completes ‘world’s longest triathlon’ at Everest summit

A erstwhile Royal Marine has completed “the world’s longest triathlon”, which helium started successful the UK 8 months agone and finished astatine the acme of Mount Everest.

Mitch Hutchcraft, from Cambridgeshire, travelled much than 13,000km (8,077 miles) successful 240 days by swimming, cycling, moving and trekking earlier reaching the world’s highest highest connected Sunday.

Setting disconnected from Dover connected 14 September past year, the 32-year-old swam 34km crossed the Channel, cycled 11,929km from France to India, ran 900km from India to Kathmandu successful Nepal, and past trekked 365km to scope Everest basal campy connected 16 April.

He reached the acme of the 8,849-metre (29,032ft) upland astatine 7.20am Nepalese clip connected Sunday successful what helium described arsenic “the longest ascent of Everest successful history”.

The epic triathlon began with a Channel aquatics successful September. Photograph: Stan Gaskell/PA

“It was much magical than I could person ever dreamed it would be,” Hutchcraft said. “Although I mislaid my dada 11 years ago, helium was with maine each measurement of the way. It’s been tough. Really tough. The astir hard happening I’ve ever done. But I couldn’t beryllium happier and much arrogant of finishing this epic adventure.”

He thanked his usher Gelje Sherpa, a renowned Nepalese climber, and the accumulation squad who person been documenting his adventure, called Project Limitless. “It’s been a long, hard, astonishing roadworthy to get here, but we yet did it,” helium said successful a station connected Instagram.

Hutchcraft joined the Royal Marines aged 21, aft his begetter died, and served for six years, leaving successful 2021.

He hopes to rise £500,000 for SavSim, a London-based wildlife conservation foundation that uses animals and quality to supply intelligence wellness enactment to subject veterans.

On his motorcycle (without his aureate retriever). Photograph: Stan Gaskell/PA

Before helium near basal campy connected Friday, helium posted connected societal media saying the ascent was worthy the risks.

“It’s been a imagination of excavation since I was 8 years aged to ascent Everest, ever since I saw it successful a book,” helium wrote. “Never successful a cardinal years did I deliberation this would beryllium however I’d get here. Years of preparation, 8 agelong months of carnal endurance, swimming crossed the Channel … the hardest time of my life, cycling crossed 19 countries, moving 900km, and pursuing successful the footsteps of the archetypal ever ascent of Everest to scope basal camp. It’s been 1 hellhole of a journey.”

He faced galore challenges during his journey, including being knocked disconnected his motorcycle by a taxi, chased by chaotic dogs and held astatine gunpoint successful Serbia.

During his rhythm from France to Turkey, helium was joined by his three-year-old aureate retriever, Buddy, who alternated betwixt moving alongside him and being pulled successful a cycling carrier, which added 32kg to Hutchcraft’s bike.