Olympic gold medal rower finishes coast-to-coast epic

An Olympic gold medallist arrived on the shores of a North Yorkshire fishing village yesterday after competing in a gruelling coast-to-coast multi-disciplinary endurance challenge.

Rower-turned adventure athlete James Cracknell crossed the finish line in Robin Hood’s Bay at the end of the four-day adidas Terrex Coast to Coast race, which saw over 100 competitors race over 200 miles from the West to East Coast of England.

Starting in Whitehaven, teams and solo racers have run, cycled, paddled, swum and navigated their way through the Lake District, all the way to the seaside village, near Whitby.

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The final stage of the race saw the competitors mountain bike across the Vale of York, into the North York Moors National Park and along the Esk Valley cycleway to the finish line, which had impressive views across the North Sea.

With a finish time of 19 hours 20 minutes and 21 seconds, Team Accelerate proved too much for James Cracknell and his adidas Terrex team members Bruce Duncan and Nicola McLeod.

But despite losing out on first place by just short of an hour, the Olympic star said he had loved every minute of the race.

“It has been incredible. Racing through the stunning English countryside and challenging yourself both physically and mentally is what this event is all about. Obviously we are disappointed to come second, but our opponents are very worthy winners,” said Mr Cracknell, whose family and friends cheered from the sidelines throughout the challenge.

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Next year will see the two teams battle it out once again in the adidas Terrex race 2012.

Mr Cracknell’s teammate Bruce Duncan said: “They may have been faster on the fells than us this time, but lets see how they fare in a true test of endurance.”

Currently double Olympic rowing champion and world record holder along with partner Matthew Pinsent, James Cracknell has been hailed as one of Britain’s sporting heroes.