So close yet so far for Maltese athlete

Endurance athlete Nicky Farrugia's attempt to break the record for the Enduroman Arch to Arc event were dashed yesterday when he was pulled from the English Channel a mere mile short of his destination in Calais for safety reasons.

The athlete, who has completed 13 Iron Man triathlons and has swum the Channel before, was attempting to run, swim and cycle between Marble Arch in London and the Arch de Triomphe in Paris in under 81 hours, five minutes.

He had already completed his 140-kilometre run from Marble Arch to Dover in 21 hours, 28 minutes and 23 seconds. He had seven hours of rest before embarking on his swim at Shakespeare Beach in Dover.

Halfway through the swim he fell ill and was feeling cold but picked up pace soon after. However, the decision was later taken to pull him out.

"Nicky is determined to continue the event and he should start cycling within the next few hours," a member of his supporting team said.

Eddie Ette, one of the Enduroman officials, told the team that if Nicky finished the last cycle stage he would still be recognised as an Enduroman but a note would be added that he had to stop swimming for safety reasons. However, if he finishes the event ahead of the current record this would not be recognised. He is expected to cover the distance of 290 kilometres from Calais to Paris in approximately 15 hours.

Mr Farrugia is raising funds for Dar tal-Providenza and Inspire (Eden and Razzett Foundation) through HSBC account 068-079821-050.