FRIENDS Paddy Montgomery and Seamus Crawford have successfully completed the Marathon des Sables, the second in their Saddle Sand Sea series, and are now preparing for their third and final challenge the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge - a 3,000 nautical mile row across the Atlantic.

So far the pair have completed The Race Across Europe, the toughest non-stop cycling event in the world and The Marathon des Sables, which has been described as one of the “toughest foot races on earth”.

Paddy said: “Can safely say we bit off more than we could chew on this one. Was one of the toughest things we have ever done. We quickly learnt on day one the importance of getting your hydration correct.

“This is something we both struggled with early on, which had major implications later that day and got us thinking ‘Are we going to finish this thing?’. This was a major wake-up call and helped us really focus on that for the remainder of the time.

“Every aspect of the event is out there to challenge you, the heat, unbelievable amount of sand which is as soft as flour, having to carry all your supplies for the week, limited water etc.

“It definitely did live up to its title of ‘toughest foot race on earth’. Having done the Race Across Europe (2,933 miles cycle race to be completed in 12 days) we know the importance of taking each day as it comes.”

The double day (84.3km) really tested the boys, pushing them to the limit. There were some exceptionally dark times, but were both able to push each other to the finish. Having completed that day, they felt they were almost there but then remembered that they still had a marathon and a half to complete.

“But we got there and are so grateful for all the support from everyone, it really did help us across the line” added Paddy.

The pair are now focusing towards the final challenge, the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, and are reaching out to local businesses who might be able to support their endeavour, as their support is critical.

Paddy and Seamus are both hugely determined to make the final leg of their series of challenges a massive success, in particular for their two “amazing” charities the Prostate Project and Shooting Star Chase, which will benefit from the money raised from the challenges.

To follow the boys on their journey go to www.saddlesandsea.com or www.theraceacrosseurope.com.