A TEAM of four Sheffield scientists climbed, biked, ran and hiked their way to victory in an extreme endurance competition in the Scottish Highlands.
The quartet from Sportspulse, based at Sheffield Hallam University, won the Drambuie Pursuit, beating nine other teams from around the country.
Now the team – made up of Nick Hamilton, Simon Choppin, Adam Wiles and David James – is set to represen
t Britain in the European version of the contest next year.
Mr James said: "We're absolutely thrilled to have won the Drambuie Pursuit; pushing ourselves through the nine different stages of the race was a real challenge, but we live for this sort of adventure and enjoyed every second.
"We always knew that we had a strong team when it came to the running and cycling stages, but in truth we could hardly claim to be experts in power boating or buggy racing.
"Ultimately our success came down to great teamwork and our ability to run that little bit faster than everyone else. We're very proud to be bringing the title back to Yorkshire."
The pursuit involved 24 hours of gruelling physical challenge and mental willpower. It began with archery and was followed by a cross country run at dawn, inflatable speedboat racing, mountain biking, a hill run, an abseil and rock climb, white water rafting, a canoe race and a team city run.
The race path is believed to be the route that Scotland's King Charles – or Bonnie Prince Charlie – took when being chased by government forces in 1746 after his army was defeated at the Battle of Culloden.
Legend has it that he bequeathed a recipe for a tasty blend of spiced honey and aged whisky to his protectors and clansmen before departing for France. That drink became known as Drambuie.
The Drambuie Pursuit, now in its third year, is due to be televised on Channel 4 later in the summer as part of a series called Adrenaline Rush.
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