A WESTMORLAND Gazette reporter and three friends rode 50 miles on mountain bikes, hiked up and over Helvellyn and paddled 1.5 miles in a canoe around Thirlmere for charity in one day.

Education and transport correspondent Andy Bloxham, 27, with Rob Bradshaw, 26, Greg Markley, 24, and Matt Davidson, 22, all from Kendal, took nine hours, six minutes to complete the course.

Mr Bloxham said: "The worst thing about it was getting up at 3.30am on a Saturday. It wasn't too bad after that!"

The team began the event, called Race the Sun and in aid of charity Action Medical Research, at 6.39am, cycling from the Penrith-based Newton Rigg campus of the University of Central Lancashire.

Through sleepy villages and quiet lanes, 38 teams of four pedalled through the morning to arrive at Legburthwaite Village Hall, near Thirlmere, for a change of clothes and a cup of tea before the steep climb up Helvellyn.

The competitors hiked up the fellside into the cloud and did not see the sun again until their descent.

Mr Davidson rated the climb as the worst part of the day: "I strained my groin going up, so walking to the summit and down, canoeing, then cycling back with a groin strain wasn't good."

However, Mr Bradshaw said it was the descent of Helvellyn that was the worst part, with rain making the lower grassy slopes treacherously slippery.

Mr Markley was not alone in feeling the effects of his exertions the next day, he said: "Walking downstairs was hard!"

A bike change was required when part of Mr Bloxham's bike failed, before they cycled to the start of the 1.5-mile canoe, completed in two Canadian open canoes, lashed together in a raft'.

Despite initial steering difficulties, the foursome paddled round the course in a joint-fastest time of 25 minutes before dumping paddles and life jackets for pedals and helmets.

By 3.45pm, the team neared the finish and crossed the line exhausted but exhilarated by their efforts, and "ready for a pint".

The team raised more than £1,000 for charity, thanks to generous sponsorship from colleagues, employers and businesses, including The Westmorland Gazette, Alfred McAlpine Infrastructure Services, Nigel Byrom Family House Furniture and the Castle Inn, Kendal.