Latest news with #ProjectLimitless
The Independent
12-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Former Royal Marine completes ‘world's longest triathlon' at Everest summit
A former Royal Marine has completed the 'world's longest triathlon', which he started in the UK and finished at the summit of Mount Everest. Mitch Hutchcraft, 32, from Cambridgeshire, travelled more than 8,000 miles in 240 days by swimming, cycling, running and trekking before reaching the world's highest peak on Sunday. After setting off from Dover on September 14 last year, Mr Hutchcraft swam 34km across the English Channel, cycled 11,929km from France to India, ran 900km from India to Kathmandu in Nepal and then trekked 365km to Everest base camp. He reached the summit of the 8,849-metre mountain at 7.20am Nepalese time on Sunday. 'It's been a dream of mine since I was eight years old to climb Everest, ever since I saw it in a book,' said Mr Hutchcraft. 'Never in a million years did I think this would be how I'd get here. 'Years of preparation, eight long months of physical endurance, swimming across the Channel… the hardest day of my life, cycling across 19 countries, running 900km, and following in the footsteps of the first ever climb of Everest to reach base camp. 'It's been one hell of a journey.' He thanked his guide Gelje Sherpa, a renowned Nepalese climber, and the production team who have been documenting his adventure, called Project Limitless. Mr Hutchcraft joined the Royal Marines aged 21, after his father died, and served for six years – leaving in 2021. He said his time with the forces helped mould the 'unbreakable mindset' and resilience he has today. Other challenges he has taken on since leaving the Marines include rowing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean and a 5,000km self-supported cycle across America. He aims to raise £500,000 for SavSim, a London-based wildlife conservation charity which uses animals and nature to provide mental health support to military veterans. Mr Hutchcraft started his challenge by swimming the English Channel from Dover, which he said was the 'hardest day' of his life. 'I barely made it… the weather got really bad and the last five hours of the swim was just trying not to drown, basically,' he said. 'That's how hard it was, when I got to the other side I just literally got to my knees and I had nothing left.' He then cycled from France to Turkey, joined by his three-year-old golden retriever Buddy, who alternated between running alongside him and being pulled in a cycling carrier, which added 32kg to Mr Hutchcraft's bike. Buddy was taken home to be reunited with Mr Hutchcraft's mother when they arrived in Bulgaria. He has faced many challenges during his journey, including being knocked off his bike by a taxi, chased by wild dogs and being held at gunpoint in Serbia. 'I hope I can inspire people to just get out there and push themselves,' Mr Hutchcraft said. 'Never compare yourself to anyone. 'One person's 5k walk is the next person's ultramarathon and I'm just doing this because this is my thing, my combination of dreams, and I want to inspire everyone to do their own thing.' Mr Hutchcraft has been documenting his journey on his Instagram @_mitchhutch.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Royal Marine completes ‘world's longest triathlon' at Everest summit
A former Royal Marine has completed the 'world's longest triathlon', which he started in the UK and finished at the summit of Mount Everest. Mitch Hutchcraft, 32, from Cambridgeshire, travelled more than 8,000 miles in 240 days by swimming, cycling, running and trekking before reaching the world's highest peak on Sunday. After setting off from Dover on September 14 last year, Mr Hutchcraft swam 34km across the English Channel, cycled 11,929km from France to India, ran 900km from India to Kathmandu in Nepal and then trekked 365km to Everest base camp. He reached the summit of the 8,849-metre mountain at 7.20am Nepalese time on Sunday. 'It's been a dream of mine since I was eight years old to climb Everest, ever since I saw it in a book,' said Mr Hutchcraft. 'Never in a million years did I think this would be how I'd get here. 'Years of preparation, eight long months of physical endurance, swimming across the Channel… the hardest day of my life, cycling across 19 countries, running 900km, and following in the footsteps of the first ever climb of Everest to reach base camp. 'It's been one hell of a journey.' He thanked his guide Gelje Sherpa, a renowned Nepalese climber, and the production team who have been documenting his adventure, called Project Limitless. Mr Hutchcraft joined the Royal Marines aged 21, after his father died, and served for six years – leaving in 2021. He said his time with the forces helped mould the 'unbreakable mindset' and resilience he has today. Other challenges he has taken on since leaving the Marines include rowing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean and a 5,000km self-supported cycle across America. He aims to raise £500,000 for SavSim, a London-based wildlife conservation charity which uses animals and nature to provide mental health support to military veterans. Mr Hutchcraft started his challenge by swimming the English Channel from Dover, which he said was the 'hardest day' of his life. 'I barely made it… the weather got really bad and the last five hours of the swim was just trying not to drown, basically,' he said. 'That's how hard it was, when I got to the other side I just literally got to my knees and I had nothing left.' He then cycled from France to Turkey, joined by his three-year-old golden retriever Buddy, who alternated between running alongside him and being pulled in a cycling carrier, which added 32kg to Mr Hutchcraft's bike. Buddy was taken home to be reunited with Mr Hutchcraft's mother when they arrived in Bulgaria. He has faced many challenges during his journey, including being knocked off his bike by a taxi, chased by wild dogs and being held at gunpoint in Serbia. 'I hope I can inspire people to just get out there and push themselves,' Mr Hutchcraft said. 'Never compare yourself to anyone. 'One person's 5k walk is the next person's ultramarathon and I'm just doing this because this is my thing, my combination of dreams, and I want to inspire everyone to do their own thing.' Mr Hutchcraft has been documenting his journey on his Instagram @_mitchhutch. To find out more and donate, visit:
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Royal Marine completes world's longest triathlon with Everest climb
A former Royal Marine has climbed to the summit of Mount Everest to complete the world's longest triathlon. Eight months after setting off from Dover, Mitch Hutchcraft's mammoth expedition saw him swim the English Channel, cycle through Europe and Asia and trek across the 31-year-old then turned his attention to the highest mountain on Earth, after arriving at its base camp. He reached the Everest summit on Sunday at 7.30am Nepalese time. Speaking afterwards, he said: 'It was more magical than I could have ever dreamed it would be. 'Although I lost my dad 11 years ago, he was with me every step of the way. 'It's been tough. Really tough. The most difficult thing I've ever done. But I couldn't be happier and more proud of finishing this epic adventure.' He paid tribute to his father, father-in-law and other friends and family by unfurling a flag with the message reading: 'We miss you' and pictures of those who had inspired him. 'It's been a dream of mine since I was eight years old to climb Everest, ever since I saw it in a book,' he added. 'Never in a million years did I think this would be how I'd get here. 'Years of preparation, eight long months of physical endurance, swimming across the Channel, cycling across 19 countries, running 900km (560 miles), and following in the footsteps of the first ever climb of Everest to reach base camp. It's been one hell of a journey.' Mr Hutchcraft and his climbing team are healthy and expected back at base camp some time on Monday. Molly McDonald, the founder and producer of Blue Door Productions, which has been following and documenting the adventure, said: 'It's been a long road since Mitch first pitched his dream to us. 'As a small team, without funding or a social following to support the expedition, we knew it was a big risk, but we saw a real magic in who Mitch is and the message he wanted to share.'Thanks to the incredible support of amazing partners – and a massive online community – that distant dream has become a reality. I'm incredibly proud of this adventure, though for Blue Door, the finish line is not the summit, but when we get our team back home safely.' In what was called Project Limitless, Mr Hutchcraft swam 21 miles across the Channel, cycled nearly 7,500 miles through Europe and Asia to Digha in India and ran 560 miles to Kathmandu, Nepal. He was forced to take a detour through Iran after being denied a visa and was further delayed by a military lockdown in Iraq. At just 20, Mr Hutchcraft faced the sudden loss of his father, a tragedy said to have become the driving force behind his decision to follow a long-held dream of joining the Royal Marines. He had previously been told a full knee reconstruction would make it impossible to even join the military, let alone complete a challenge of this magnitude. But he served for six years before leaving in 2021 to pursue new challenges driven by an overwhelming desire for adventures. While this has been described as the biggest challenge of his life, it was not his first adventure. Mr Hutchcraft spent the last few years rowing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean, cycling across North America and climbing some of the most challenging mountains in the world before the dream for Project Limitless was born. He said the swim across the Channel was the 'hardest day of my life'. The former Marine has also been raising money for SAVSIM – a non-profit organisation supporting wildlife conservation. 'This has been the most painful, but fulfilling, adventure,' he added. 'I just want it to inspire others to believe that whatever they're dreaming, however small, they just need to get out there and smash it.'His challenge will officially end when he gets back to base camp. Everest was first conquered by New Zealander Edmund Hillary in 1953. Since then, thousands have tried to scale the mountain and several other Himalayan peaks. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ex-Royal Marine completes ‘world's longest triathlon' at Everest summit
A former Royal Marine has completed 'the world's longest triathlon', which he started in the UK eight months ago and finished at the summit of Mount Everest. Mitch Hutchcraft, from Cambridgeshire, travelled more than 13,000km (8,077 miles) in 240 days by swimming, cycling, running and trekking before reaching the world's highest peak on Sunday. Advertisement Setting off from Dover on 14 September last year, the 32-year-old swam 34km across the Channel, cycled 11,929km from France to India, ran 900km from India to Kathmandu in Nepal, and then trekked 365km to reach Everest base camp on 16 April. He reached the summit of the 8,849-metre (29,032ft) mountain at 7.20am Nepalese time on Sunday in what he described as 'the longest climb of Everest in history'. 'It was more magical than I could have ever dreamed it would be,' Hutchcraft said. 'Although I lost my dad 11 years ago, he was with me every step of the way. It's been tough. Really tough. The most difficult thing I've ever done. But I couldn't be happier and more proud of finishing this epic adventure.' He thanked his guide Gelje Sherpa, a renowned Nepalese climber, and the production team who have been documenting his adventure, called Project Limitless. 'It's been a long, hard, amazing road to get here, but we finally did it,' he said in a post on Instagram. Advertisement Hutchcraft joined the Royal Marines aged 21, after his father died, and served for six years, leaving in 2021. He hopes to raise £500,000 for SavSim, a London-based wildlife conservation charity that uses animals and nature to provide mental health support to military veterans. Before he left base camp on Friday, he posted on social media saying the climb was worth the risks. 'It's been a dream of mine since I was eight years old to climb Everest, ever since I saw it in a book,' he wrote. 'Never in a million years did I think this would be how I'd get here. Years of preparation, 8 long months of physical endurance, swimming across the Channel … the hardest day of my life, cycling across 19 countries, running 900km, and following in the footsteps of the first ever climb of Everest to reach base camp. It's been one hell of a journey.' Advertisement He faced many challenges during his journey, including being knocked off his bike by a taxi, chased by wild dogs and held at gunpoint in Serbia. During his cycle from France to Turkey, he was joined by his three-year-old golden retriever, Buddy, who alternated between running alongside him and being pulled in a cycling carrier, which added 32kg to Hutchcraft's bike.
The Guardian
11-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Ex-Royal Marine completes ‘world's longest triathlon' at Everest summit
A former Royal Marine has completed 'the world's longest triathlon', which he started in the UK eight months ago and finished at the summit of Mount Everest. Mitch Hutchcraft, from Cambridgeshire, travelled more than 13,000km (8,077 miles) in 240 days by swimming, cycling, running and trekking before reaching the world's highest peak on Sunday. Setting off from Dover on 14 September last year, the 32-year-old swam 34km across the Channel, cycled 11,929km from France to India, ran 900km from India to Kathmandu in Nepal, and then trekked 365km to reach Everest base camp on 16 April. He reached the summit of the 8,849-metre (29,032ft) mountain at 7.20am Nepalese time on Sunday in what he described as 'the longest climb of Everest in history'. 'It was more magical than I could have ever dreamed it would be,' Hutchcraft said. 'Although I lost my dad 11 years ago, he was with me every step of the way. It's been tough. Really tough. The most difficult thing I've ever done. But I couldn't be happier and more proud of finishing this epic adventure.' He thanked his guide Gelje Sherpa, a renowned Nepalese climber, and the production team who have been documenting his adventure, called Project Limitless. 'It's been a long, hard, amazing road to get here, but we finally did it,' he said in a post on Instagram. Hutchcraft joined the Royal Marines aged 21, after his father died, and served for six years, leaving in 2021. He hopes to raise £500,000 for SavSim, a London-based wildlife conservation charity that uses animals and nature to provide mental health support to military veterans. Before he left base camp on Friday, he posted on social media saying the climb was worth the risks. 'It's been a dream of mine since I was eight years old to climb Everest, ever since I saw it in a book,' he wrote. 'Never in a million years did I think this would be how I'd get here. Years of preparation, 8 long months of physical endurance, swimming across the Channel … the hardest day of my life, cycling across 19 countries, running 900km, and following in the footsteps of the first ever climb of Everest to reach base camp. It's been one hell of a journey.' He faced many challenges during his journey, including being knocked off his bike by a taxi, chased by wild dogs and held at gunpoint in Serbia. During his cycle from France to Turkey, he was joined by his three-year-old golden retriever, Buddy, who alternated between running alongside him and being pulled in a cycling carrier, which added 32kg to Hutchcraft's bike.
