Ex-marine climbs Everest after 'record-breaking' triathlon
"Although I lost my dad 11 years ago, he was with me every step of the way," said Hutchcraft, speaking to his team over the phone after summiting."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."
After swimming the 35km width (21 miles) of the Channel from Dover, Hutchcraft cycled about 12,000 km (7,456 miles) from Europe to Digha in India.He then ran 900km (559 miles) to Kathmandu in Nepal, before starting his 360km (223-mile) trek to Everest basecamp.Hutchcraft said he had dreamed of completing the climb since he was eight years old."Never in a million years did I think this would be how I'd get here," he said."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."
Hutchcraft, who has had a full knee reconstruction, was once told the surgery would make it impossible to even join the military, let alone complete a challenge of this magnitude.He has been raising money for SAVSIM, a wildlife conservation organisation, dedicated to providing mental health support to veterans and others suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and similar issues.He said: "For me this is so much more than just a dream to make history, it is also the chance to raise funds and awareness for an amazing non-profit organisation very close to my heart and give back to veteran mental health and wildlife conservation."His father died suddenly when he was 20, which became a driving force in his decision to join the Royal Marines.He served six years until 2021.His challenge, named Project Limitless, is being filmed by a production team and is due to officially end when he returns to basecamp - which he was due to do by Monday morning.
Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
England denied as Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar earn India dogged draw in fourth Test
And so a Test that long threatened to be decided by the unstinting efforts of an all-rounder was. Though not one but two and not Ben Stokes, who discovered that not even he can bend every game to his will, but Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar. Centuries for the two India spinners in a partnership of 203 capped a terrific fightback and ensured the series remains alive when these teams reconvene at The Oval on Thursday. India cannot win it but, as their doggedness at Old Trafford showed, they have a willingness to scrap to avoid defeat. In the process, they secured that rarity: a draw. It was just the second of Stokes' captaincy, both at Old Trafford, but the first to be unaffected by weather; the forecasts were inaccurate and England were denied not by the elements but the opposition. That England ended with Harry Brook 's hopeless attempts at off-spin underlined how, for once, they have given up on victory. Shubman Gill led the defiance and it was fitting he marked it with his fourth hundred of the series. As important as the 103 runs the captain made was the 379 minutes he lasted. He came to the crease with Chris Woakes on a hat-trick and India 0-2, 311 runs behind and with five sessions to bat. Then a finish on Sunday felt possible. Instead, after two wickets in two balls, England only took two more in the next 142 overs. Even that required something special from Stokes. A man who was unable to bowl on the fourth day opened the attack on the fifth. Bowling with pain, troubled by his shoulder, Stokes nonetheless got more from the pitch than any of the other seamers. An eight-over spell that brought a wicket and could have produced another reinforced the impression of Stokes as superman. But it took a lot out of him: his second spell was shorter and less effective. There was no third spell. It remains to be seen if the series' best bowler can be a genuine all-rounder at The Oval. He showed his catalytic power. The man who can make things happen had Gill dropped at cover by Ollie Pope even before trapping KL Rahul lbw with a decision that was so clear the opener started to walk before being given. Out for 90, he could testify to the uneven bounce Stokes was getting from the Sir James Anderson End. But Rahul had provided a five-hour platform for India to save the game. Stokes at least afforded England an opening before the second new ball. Jofra Archer removed Gill, caught behind after an injudicious waft, but only after joining Don Bradman in a select club who made four hundreds in a series against England and the great Australian and Sunil Gavaskar who managed four in one as captain. One wicket had brought another immediately on Saturday. It almost did on Sunday. Jadeja was dropped first ball, a juggling Root dropping it at the third attempt. He had held Yashavi Jaiswal at the second but a fumble proved costly. So did others: Gill had been spilled on 46 and 81 and, with the pitch yielding just 24 wickets in five days, England needed to be immaculate. India were obdurate. Some of their choices have backfired at Old Trafford but not the decision to promote Sundar to deputise for the injured Rishabh Pant as their No 5. He had never previously batted as high in Test cricket but looked eminently equipped to do so, facing 206 balls. Cautious early on, he hooked Stokes for six and four to bring up his fifty. A maiden Test century followed and deservedly. Jadeja joined him and underlined why, brilliant a game as Stokes has had, he tops the ICC world rankings for all-rounders. His fifth fifty in his last six innings spoke to a remarkable consistency and, accelerating against spin, he converted it into his fifth Test century. There was a belated reward, too. He had made a valiant effort to win the Lord's Test but was stranded with the tail. Given a similarly fine batter at the other end, he offered watchful defence and accelerated in the evening session to give India a lead. England rarely looked like dismissing him. Brydon Carse, with a lone wicket in the series against left-handers and an average of over 200 against them, was not called upon until 2.19. Liam Dawson worked his way through 47 overs, many of them economical, but Stokes felt he missed the rough too often. There were times in the morning when England beat the bat, but fewer thereafter. It left England looking over-reliant on Stokes as India showed they don't have a monopoly on high-class all-rounders.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Ben Stokes willing to ‘run through a brick wall' to face India in Test decider
Ben Stokes insisted 'pain is just an emotion' as he revealed he will do his utmost to be available in an all-round capacity for England's Rothesay Test series decider against India. The England captain struggled with cramp in his left leg and general soreness, while more fitness issues emerged on the last day of the drawn fourth Test as he was clearly discomforted by his upper right arm. Stokes revealed he had hurt his bicep tendon, with his injury niggles the result of a taxing workload that has seen him already send down 140 overs in four Tests – the most he has ever bowled in a series. However, Stokes, the leading wicket-taker of the series with 17 at an average of 25.2, is optimistic of taking to the field at the Kia Oval on Thursday as England try to seal a 3-1 series triumph. 'Hopefully I will be alright going for the last one,' he said. 'I am doing everything possible to be alright. It's been a big five or six weeks, I'll always try to give everything I possibly can. 'It's just a workload sort of thing. We got a fair amount of overs and everything starts creeping up on you. I'll keep trying, keep going and as I say to all the bowlers: pain is just an emotion. 'I'll always try to run through a brick wall for the team. Bowling, being out on the field it is tough work. I'm feeling pretty sore. I've physically been better. 'I don't want to eat my words but the likelihood I won't play (at the Oval) is very unlikely.' Stokes was magnificent at Emirates Old Trafford, where he became the fourth Englishman to record a five-wicket haul and a century in the same match – after Tony Greig, Lord Botham and Gus Atkinson. India slipped to nought for two when they had yet to eat into a 311-run first-innings deficit but KL Rahul and Shubman Gill led the tourists into calmer waters with a 188-run partnership. Stokes, having not bowled on Saturday, struck to have Rahul lbw for 90 during an eight-over burst on Sunday morning and hopes were high when Jofra Archer prised out Gill for 103 on the stroke of lunch. However, Joe Root's drop of Ravindra Jadeja from the next ball proved costly as the India all-rounder and fellow left-hander Washington Sundar batted out the rest of the day, making twin unbeaten hundreds. 'When the reality (hits) with where the game drifted towards, there is obviously going to be that comedown,' Stokes said. 'You can get the vibe that we've thrown everything and not been able to get over the line, there is that sense of disappointment and almost heartbreak – me being a captain, I was as well.' However, Stokes is well aware they cannot dwell on this result for too long as he added: 'I've got to be that upbeat person as well.' There were farcical scenes as the game drifted towards a conclusion in Manchester, where Sundar and Jadeja refused to shake hands with 15 overs to go – the earliest a draw could be agreed. The pair had batted out the final two sessions to ensure India would avoid defeat but on 80 and 89 respectively, Sundar and Jadeja carried on to rubber-stamp their fine performances with hundreds. England's frustration was palpable and Stokes brought on Harry Brook for some buffet bowling to speed things along, with Jadeja getting to three figures first before Sundar followed for his first Test ton. 'I did have to tell Harry Brook 'please don't do anything stupid – I can't have you pulling a side',' Stokes said. 'I wasn't going to risk any of my proper bowling options. 'They played incredibly well. I don't think there would have been much more satisfaction in walking off 100 not out, getting your team off in a tricky situation, than walking off at 80 or 90 not out.' 'Scoring 10 more runs isn't going to change the fact you've got your team out of a very, very tricky situation and saved your team from a series defeat.'
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
India frustrate England at Old Trafford to keep Test series alive as Bazball meets its match on a mercilessly flat pitch, writes LAWRENCE BOOTH
England huffed and they puffed, but they could not blow India 's house down in Manchester. Hell, they barely even blew their doors off. A total of 143 overs in more than five sessions yielded a grand total of four wickets – two of them in the first five balls – allowing the tourists to leave Lancashire with a creditable draw and arrive in London this week with a chance to square the series at 2–2. To add to England's irritation, the Indians turned down Ben Stokes 's offer of a draw with 15 overs to go, because both Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja were nearing centuries. Their refusal seemed to offend England's disdain for personal milestones, though the batsmen surely deserved the chance to complete hard-fought hundreds – in Sundar's case, his first in Tests. And so tempers – English tempers, mainly – frayed once more in a series that has pushed both sides to the brink of mental and physical exhaustion. Harry Brook, who led the sarcastic remarks picked up by the stump mike, came on to bowl 35mph off-breaks that reeked of petulance. Undeterred, the batsmen tucked into the freebies, each bringing up three figures in a match-saving stand eventually worth 203. There was more testiness as the players walked off with the scoreboard reading 425 for four, laying the groundwork for a pulsating finale at The Oval on Thursday. 'Both of them were in the nineties,' said India's captain, Shubman Gill. 'We thought they deserved a century.' Their coach Gautam Gambhir agreed: 'Would England have walked off if they were approaching a hundred?' By the time Stokes addressed the media, he had calmed down, praising his opponents while suggesting 'there would have been no less satisfaction walking off with 80 not out than 100 not out'. But England should have taken their medicine, especially on a day when their shortcomings with the ball were exposed by centuries for Gill, his fourth of a momentous series, and India's two spin-bowling all-rounders. When conditions go as flat as this in Australia this winter, as they inevitably will, England will need more incision, or they can kiss goodbye to the Ashes – again. It might have been different. Had Jadeja not been dropped in the slips by Joe Root moments before lunch off a despairing Jofra Archer, England might now be celebrating their first Bazball series triumph over fellow 'Big Three' opponents. Instead, a tiring attack was blunted on another mercilessly flat pitch by Jadeja and Sundar, who arrived to a barrage of verbals led by Brook, and proceeded to silence England with elegant ease. There will be changes for The Oval because, quite simply, there have to be. It feels unwise to risk Archer for a third game in a row so soon after his comeback, and there is an equal case for resting both Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse, who have both played the first four games, and returned bowling averages of 52 and 60 respectively. 'Everyone's going to be pretty sore,' said Stokes. 'We'll make an assessment of everyone, and use the next few days wisely.' Yet again, the pick of England's seamers – indeed their only genuine threat – was Stokes, who ignored a sore biceps tendon in his right arm to begin the last day with an eight-over spell that produced the wicket of KL Rahul, trapped plumb in front by an inducker for 90. Stokes said his chances of missing the fifth Test were 'very unlikely'. It's a fool's errand trying to keep up with his niggles, though England insisted this one has been brewing for a while. Yet it was soberingly clear that without his ability to create hope where none exists, India could do as they wished. That much had been evident on the fourth day, when Stokes – still suffering the after-effects of cramp – didn't bowl at all, allowing Rahul and Gill to kickstart India's recovery from none for two with a stand eventually worth 188. And when, on the final afternoon, Stokes limited himself to three overs between lunch and tea, and none at all thereafter, England again looked toothless. Only when Gill, having moved past 700 runs for the series, edged a loose cut off Archer in the penultimate over of the morning session, did England look favourites. But their spirits were instantly doused: when Jadeja flashed unaccountably at his first ball, Root could only parry the head-high chance, before failing to grab the rebound. India still trailed by 89. Yet that, pretty well, was that. It didn't help that Liam Dawson sent down 47 wicketless overs of left-arm spin that had Stokes urging him to vary his angle of attack as the players walked off at tea. Dawson kept India to two an over, as Shoaib Bashir would have been unable to do. But the feeling persisted that Bashir might have grabbed a wicket or two. With Bashir nursing a broken finger, Dawson will get another chance at The Oval, but any or all of Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue and Jamie Overton could be drafted in to refresh the England attack. India, too, will make changes, with Rishabh Pant already ruled out by his broken foot, and their pre-series pledge to limit Jasprit Bumrah to three games sure to be tested by the state of the series. Gill said India would 'wait and see', though it's hard to imagine that either Mohammed Siraj or Anshul Kamboj will feature again. For the moment, his side should enjoy inflicting on England only the second draw in 40 Tests in the Bazball era. The first, also in Manchester, owed everything to rain that saved Australia two years ago. This was down to Indian guts and English impotence. A draining series may not have seen its final twist. BY RICHARD GIBSON England Crawley 7.5 - Playing in Manchester, scene of his brilliant Ashes hundred two years ago, awoke the Kent opener from his mid-series slumber. Duckett 7.5 - Looked crestfallen at narrowly falling short of a seventh Test hundred, after overcoming an examination in gloomy conditions at the start of England's reply on day two. Pope 7 - Hit lots of balls in between Tests and it told as he rediscovered some of the fluency conspicuous by its absence at both Edgbaston and Lord's. Root 9 - Another batting masterclass by a man whose eminence was highlighted by his passing of Ricky Ponting into second place in Test cricket's run scoring chart. Brook 5 - Since briefly interrupting Root's reign as the world's No 1 batter, the Yorkshireman's form has dropped off and he was brilliantly duped by Washington Sundar's drift here. Stokes 9.5 - Yet another superman display. A five-wicket haul, a first Test hundred in two years and more body defying brilliance in a final burst with the ball on day five. Smith 6 - Glovework, a drop down the leg side that reprieved Sai Sudharsan in the first innings aside, was sound, but this was a rare barren Test with the bat for the Surrey man. Woakes 6 - Made the ball talk at the start of the second innings, briefly stirring hopes of a four-day victory, but struggled once it went softer. Dawson 6 - Gave Stokes control by going at two runs per over, but after celebrating a Test recall by striking with his seventh delivery, the lack of a second mark in the wickets column was disappointing. Carse 5 - Showed his value as a tail-ender once again, but a wicketless display took his series average with the ball north of 60 and he desperately looks in need of a rest. Archer 7 - Lost his lines at times, but still managed speeds touching 90 miles per hour on the final day and had a fifth wicket materialised when Ravindra Jadeja nicked his first delivery, the match might have taken a different course. India
