Team from The Christie charity join Steve Prescott on his latest fundraising challenge

A super-fit team from The Christie charity are preparing to join Steve Prescott on his latest incredible challenge which is raising money to help other cancer patients.

Former rugby league international Steve Prescott MBE, was diagnosed with a rare form of abdomem cancer - Pseudomyxoma Peritonei - in September 2006 the day after the birth of his youngest son Koby. He continues to be treated at The Christie, a specialist cancer centre in Manchester.

Now the St Helens, Hull and Wakefield full-back, who has another son called Taylor, is preparing for one of his biggest challenges yet as he gets ready to embark on The Engage Mutual Race to the Grand Final, a gruelling 48 hour ‘quadrathon’ to raise money for The Steve Prescott Foundation.

The one-off quadrathon is a relentless 48-hour challenge which starts on Thursday October 4^th and finishes with Steve delivering the match ball in time for the Stobart Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford in Manchester on Saturday 6^th October.

Beginning in Hull, all participants must swim the width of the Humber Estuary before cycling the width of the country overnight to Liverpool. They will then swim one mile upstream in the River Mersey before running 18 miles from Liverpool to the RuncornBridge where the BridgewaterCanal begins.

From here, everyone will kayak the canal to Old Trafford in time for the rugby game.

The team from the charity are splitting the challenge into three and completing as a relay. Community fundraising officer Howard Newhall is tackling the swimming and cycling legs while Head of Major Relationships and Community Jack Miller will do the run. Charity receptionist Charlotte Rowen is set for the kayaking.

Steve said; “We’ve undertaken a number of challenges over the last few years but this will be the toughest not just in terms of the activities but the timescales involved.

“I’d like to thank everyone involved for committing themselves to such a gruelling event in order to raise money for good causes.”

Howard, who has taken part in a number of Steve’s previous events, added; “This is one of the hardest challenges Steve has ever set himself – his courage and determination is incredible.

“We’ve been training hard as we know it will be tough, but we will be proud to be representing The Christie charity and supporting Steve.

“Huge thanks to Steve for, once again, pushing himself to the limit to raise money to help other cancer patients.”

This is the second challenge which Steve will have undertaken in 2012 following his Paris to London: Marathon Challenge which he successfully completed with ex-Great Britain captain Paul Sculthorpe earlier this year.

Although Steve still undergoes extensive treatment for cancer, his fundraising efforts have seen him complete an epic 199 mile charity walk taking in every Super League Club within the M62 corridor, cycle 900 miles between Perpignan and Windsor Castle, row 24 miles along the River Thames in a dragon boat and run a half-marathon to deliver the match ball to Wembley in time for the Challenge Cup final as well as cycling from John O’ Groats to Lands End whilst climbing the three highest peaks in Britain in between.

Since setting up the Steve Prescott Foundation in 2007, he has raised more than £350,000 for The Christie and Try Assist, the Rugby League Benevolent fund, which helps sick and injured rugby league players.

Steve is hoping this latest challenge will take his overall fundraising total to near the £400,000 mark.