Talisker Challenge teams set off for Canaries

The Talisker whisky challenge begins in December. Picture: Richard Wilson

THREE teams taking part in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge took part in a final training session this week before heading to the Canaries to begin the challenge.

Fergus Scholes and Jamie Glasson (Atlantic Polo), James Kayll (Row2Recovery) and Dan Howie and Will North (Atlantic Row 2013) were among nine sportsmen who rowed from Battersea to Vauxhall to mark the three-week countdown.

The challenge, which takes around six weeks to complete, starts on December 2nd, with participants required to row two hours on, two hours off, 24 hours a day from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua, in what is billed the world’s toughest rowing race.

Renowned for its tough conditions and gruelling physical trials, the race sees competitors burn close to 8,000 calories a day, and lose about 20 per cent of their body weight over the race’s duration.

Teams will face 40ft waves, blistering heat, sleep deprivation and an unpredictable enviroment.

Among the competitors are Cayle Royce, who lost both legs in Afghanistan and his team-mate Scott Blaney, who lost a leg and suffered serious arm injuries during the conflict.