Project Limitless
“We aim to inspire others by showing that we can all push beyond our perceived limits.”
Mitchell Hutchcraft is undertaking a record-breaking and unprecedented undertaking. It is "Project Limitless", a grueling intercontinental triathlon, the longest in the world.
12,000 kilometers
swimming in the sea, cycling and running from the UK to Everest!.
Having also completed the 900-kilometer ultramarathon, he is now completing the final 350 kilometers of trekking that will take him to the base of Everest, from where he will begin his ascent to the imposing 8,848-meter peak.
"The most important lesson I have learned," he told Al Arabiya English, "is that we as humans are capable of achieving extraordinary things, but we often don't realise how far we can go."
His extraordinary journey has already seen him complete a 34-kilometre swim across the English Channel, from Shakespeare Cliffs near Dover to Cap Gris Nez, near Calais in France. He has also cycled 10,500 kilometres, from Calais to Digha in India, in three months, using a specially designed touring bike, built for both speed and endurance, averaging 11 hours of pedalling per day.
“The crazy roads,” he wrote on his Instagram profile on Tuesday, on day 186 of his feat, “have continued today and the temperature continues to rise. Let’s push on toward Everest!.”
To reach this goal, the training, which lasted three years, was extremely demanding. He started with a coast-to-coast 4,500-kilometer ride across the United States, from Florida to California, and then completed an Ironman with his companion, a Golden Retriever. “I swam with him on a paddle board,” he wrote, posting a photo, “he came with me on a bicycle (from France to Hungary) on a special ‘trailer’, and we ran together. I wanted to take him with me for the whole trip, but it wasn’t possible. I miss him.”
“Believing is a powerful thing and with a positive mindset you can do anything,” the former Royal Marines repeats like a mantra. Now all that’s missing is the last, hardest obstacle: “It’s been a long wait,” he wrote on social media last week, “but Everest is finally in sight.
Here we are at phase 4, the hardest part of the hardest challenge of my life."
“Believe in yourself to reach Everest”
This project was inspired by a childhood dream and dedicated to the memory of Hutchcraft's father, who passed away 11 years ago. The venture also had a charitable goal: to raise money for SAVSIM, an organization that supports veterans' mental health and wildlife conservation. So far, over £500,000 has been raised.