Plymouth skateboarders break end-to-end record with gruelling journey
THREE Plymouth teenagers have smashed a world record after skateboarding a gruelling 985 miles from John O'Groats to Land's End.
Plympton friends Matt Elver, and Lee Renshaw, both 18, and Charlie Mason, 19, pushed their way through mud, wind and rain over 21 days arriving at the finish line yesterday.
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They beat the current record by five days and in the process raised thousands of pounds for the GoGo Trust, which helps families affected by aids in Africa.
"I just feel relieved and very happy," said Matt, who built the longboards they used with his dad in a workshop at their Plympton home.
The Maths student at Plymouth University said: "I didn't know what to expect when we started out but going up some of the hills in Scotland and the Lake District, I thought I might die.
"I definitely feel mentally a lot stronger after the experience."
The friends, collectively known as the Orsum Team, suffered some injuries along the way.
Former Heles School student, Lee who came up with the idea for the trip, suffered a blister that infected his leg to below the knee, yet he rolled on for 300 miles before getting treatment.
He said: "I felt bad that the injury held the trip up. One of the hardest things was just to accept that these things happen.
"I'm incredibly pleased that we've achieved what we set out to do. It started as one last road trip before we went off to different universities."
Lee eventually got hospital treatment and had to ease off skate boarding over the last few days but is now on the road to recovery.
Their route saw them covering around 50 to 60 miles per day from about 9am to 6pm, along the Sustrans Cycle Network which snakes through the country on B roads and areas with traffic calming.
Orsum Team manager, Laura Hatwell, who headed the support crew, said: "On days where we had to use A roads, the guys got up at 5am to avoid the traffic."
She added: "I'm so proud of them — it's a massive achievement. The way Lee soldiered on helping his teammates where he could made him a total hero."
To sponsor the team visit http://www.orsumboards.co.uk/
12 Comments
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by julie, plympton
Sunday, July 25 2010, 10:50AM
“i think some of you posting on here need to "grow up"! these lads are friends of my daughter and they all put their hearts and souls into this.it wasn't just the skating it was all the hard work for sponsorship & fundraising that went on before they left.i think we should be very proud of them and for proving that young people DO care about other people and for taking the time to raise a lot of money for them.puts a lot of older people to shame don't you think BORIS ?!! WELL DONE LADS Heles should be very proud of its students.”
by Steve, Millbay
Thursday, July 22 2010, 9:24PM
“It just goes to show that not all teenagers are bad. Well done you three. But looking at the World map , it was all downhill. lol.”
by John, Plymouth
Thursday, July 22 2010, 7:26PM
“Boring boring Bori...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Internet troll”
by Paul, Saltash
Thursday, July 22 2010, 5:33PM
“Boris what is your problem with.....well everything and everyone? I'm 35 and skateboard as often as i can. I work fulltime and own my own home before you mention social welfare blah blah blah.Skating is a sport which needs great levels of fitness to participate (unlike commenting on EVERY story on a news website). Awesome feat lads well done a massive achievment!”
by Alex, Cornwall
Thursday, July 22 2010, 5:22PM
“An utterly superb effort. If they had have been a bit younger or older they could have partaken of a free swim at the town pools through which they passed. A nice dip and a spruce up before hitting the town and enjoying all the young ladies and lording them with their tales of the open road.
Well done lads, perhaps you could write a book 'Three lads on a skateboard'.”