Ex-parachute regiment officer from Lewes aims for rowing record
A former parachute regiment officer has set off on his attempt to break the record for a solo row around Great Britain, aiming to honour his former colleagues.Mike Ellicock, from Lewes in East Sussex, was wounded in action during a hostage rescue in Sierra Leone in 2000, when he was a 25-year-old parachute regiment platoon commander.The father-of-three, now 49, is attempting to make history by completing the challenge in less than 80 days."I turn 50 this year and to 'celebrate' I thought it would be a good idea to attempt to break the record for rowing around Great Britain," he said.
He set off from Newhaven on Wednesday in a Canadian-designed boat called Pegasus which is a combination of a sea kayak and an ocean rowing boat.He will go in a clockwise direction, stopping inland every so often to replenish supplies."I'm least looking forward to hitting Thurso, which is one of the most dangerous bodies of water in the UK, maybe in the world," he said."But I've trained hard for this challenge and taken advice from experts to ensure I'm equipped to deal with the wild waters there unscathed."Mr Ellicock will raise funds for the Parachute Regiment Charity.
Following his recovery from being wounded in action in Sierra Leone, Mr Ellicock said he "had the privilege of commanding paratroopers on operations again before making a successful and rewarding transition into civilian life".He added: "Not all my former brothers in arms were so fortunate, and that's why I'm looking to use this challenge as a way to honour them while raising money for charities close to my heart."He will also fundraise for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.In 2013 he broke a Guinness World Record for running the London Marathon with a 40lb (18kg) pack in three hours, 25 minutes and 21 seconds, and has previously taken on the Devizes to Westminster canoe race, which runs over a 125-mile course from Wiltshire to London."This upcoming challenge is from another league though. It's like the next level," he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
Mercedes' George Russell fastest in second practice for Canadian Grand Prix
Championship leader Oscar Piastri was only sixth, with Lewis Hamilton eighth, one place ahead of Max Verstappen, who had earlier finished fastest in the first running of the weekend. Russell has been one of the grid's standout performers this season with four podium finishes already under his belt, matching the tally he managed for the entire 2024 campaign. At the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Friday, Russell's lap of one minute and 12.123 seconds was the fastest of the day to leave Norris trailing. McLaren have dominated the campaign so far, but in practice here they appeared to be lacking the advantage which has carried them to seven wins from the nine races staged. Norris was in striking range of Russell, just 0.028sec behind the Mercedes man, but Piastri was 0.439sec off the pace, having finished the first practice session in 14th. Lando Norris trailed George Russell by 0.028 seconds in second practice (Evan Buhler/AP) Williams' Alex Albon took fourth, with Fernando Alonso fifth, but the two-time world champion's Aston Martin team-mate Lance Stroll crashed out. Stroll, who had a medical procedure on a wrist injury which prevented him from contesting the Spanish Grand Prix a fortnight ago, thudded into the concrete wall at turn seven to bring an abrupt end to his session. The Canadian was the day's second major casualty after Charles Leclerc's preparations for the rest of the weekend were dealt a blow when he suffered a heavy accident with just nine laps on the board in first practice. The Monegasque crashed into the barrier on the entry to turn four and sustained significant damage to the left-hand side of his Ferrari. The force of the impact sent him sideways and across the other side of the chicane. Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc completed just nine laps after he crashed out of first practice (Christopher Katsarov/AP) 'F***,' said Leclerc on the radio. 'Sorry, I am in the wall. My bad. I should have gone straight, but I thought I would make the corner and I hit the wall.' Leclerc's survival cell on his Ferrari needed replacing which sidelined him for the remainder of the day. His accident marked an underwhelming day for Ferrari which will have done little to lift the gloom around the Italian team with Hamilton 0.530 sec slower than the pace-setting Russell.
Leader Live
an hour ago
- Leader Live
Mercedes' George Russell fastest in second practice for Canadian Grand Prix
The British driver, who took pole position in Montreal last year, edged out McLaren compatriot Lando Norris, with Kimi Antonelli underlining Mercedes' speed to set the third quickest time. Championship leader Oscar Piastri was only sixth, with Lewis Hamilton eighth, one place ahead of Max Verstappen, who had earlier finished fastest in the first running of the weekend. 🏁 END OF FP2 🏁 TOP 10Russell 💨NorrisAntonelliAlbonAlonsoPiastriSainzHamiltonVerstappenLawson#F1 #CanadianGP — Formula 1 (@F1) June 13, 2025 Russell has been one of the grid's standout performers this season with four podium finishes already under his belt, matching the tally he managed for the entire 2024 campaign. At the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Friday, Russell's lap of one minute and 12.123 seconds was the fastest of the day to leave Norris trailing. McLaren have dominated the campaign so far, but in practice here they appeared to be lacking the advantage which has carried them to seven wins from the nine races staged. Norris was in striking range of Russell, just 0.028sec behind the Mercedes man, but Piastri was 0.439sec off the pace, having finished the first practice session in 14th. Williams' Alex Albon took fourth, with Fernando Alonso fifth, but the two-time world champion's Aston Martin team-mate Lance Stroll crashed out. Stroll, who had a medical procedure on a wrist injury which prevented him from contesting the Spanish Grand Prix a fortnight ago, thudded into the concrete wall at turn seven to bring an abrupt end to his session. The Canadian was the day's second major casualty after Charles Leclerc's preparations for the rest of the weekend were dealt a blow when he suffered a heavy accident with just nine laps on the board in first practice. The Monegasque crashed into the barrier on the entry to turn four and sustained significant damage to the left-hand side of his Ferrari. The force of the impact sent him sideways and across the other side of the chicane. 'F***,' said Leclerc on the radio. 'Sorry, I am in the wall. My bad. I should have gone straight, but I thought I would make the corner and I hit the wall.' Leclerc's survival cell on his Ferrari needed replacing which sidelined him for the remainder of the day. His accident marked an underwhelming day for Ferrari which will have done little to lift the gloom around the Italian team with Hamilton 0.530 sec slower than the pace-setting Russell.
Reuters
7 hours ago
- Reuters
Opelka upsets Medvedev to reach semis in Den Bosch
'S-HERTOGENBOSCH, Netherlands, June 13 (Reuters) - American lucky loser Reilly Opelka put up an intense battle to stun top seed Daniil Medvedev 7-6(5) 7-6(5) and reach the Libema Open semi-finals in Den Bosch on Friday. Medvedev, who on Thursday edged a first set tiebreak against Frenchman Adrian Mannarino, hit three double faults in the second set tiebreak and five overall, compared to no such error by Opelka, who also hit 24 aces. The 2021 U.S. Open champion, currently ranked 11th in the world, needed to match or better Ben Shelton's result in Stuttgart this week to return to Top 10 on Monday. The American, ranked 12th, will beat him to it after he overcame Czech Jiri Lehecka 6-4 6-4 to advance to the Stuttgart semi-finals. Former Wimbledon junior champion Opelka will contest a an ATP grasscourt semi-final for the second time in his career having reached the same stage at Newport last year. He will face Estonian qualifier Mark Lajal or Belgium's Zizou Bergs on Saturday for a spot in the final. French second seed Ugo Humbert will play Canadian Gabriel Diallo in the other semi. Diallo knocked out third seed Karen Khachanov 7-6(6) 6-4 while the Frenchman eliminated Portuguese Nuno Borges, seeded seventh, 6-1 6-4. In the women's draw, second seed Ekaterina Alexandrova came from a set down to beat Veronika Kudermetova 5-7 6-4 6-2. In the semi-finals, she will face Belgian third seed Elise Mertens, who ousted China's Yue Yuan 6-0 6-4. Romanian qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse upset Canadian wildcard Bianca Andreescu 6-2 6-4 and will face Elisabetta Cocciaretto.
