London pair raise £50,000 in 'world's longest paddle race'

Two men from London have raised more than £50,000 for charity after completing what is billed as the world's longest paddle race.

Hector Bevan and Charlie Goodwin finished the Yukon 1000, a 1,000-mile (1,600km) race from Canada to Alaska, on July 19.

The pair raised funds for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, following the treatment of Hector's late father Hugh for prostate cancer at The Royal Marsden.

"We want to help other men like Dad to have extra time and better outcomes," said Mr Bevan.

They completed the race in seven days, six hours and 25 minutes, placing third among canoe-based teams. The race has a cut-off time of nine days and 18 hours.

The Yukon 1000 is also open to kayak and stand up paddleboard entrants.

“Dad thought I was mad, as the race involves paddling for up to 18 hours a day in some of the most isolated landscapes in the world," Mr Bevan said.

"But if we were going to do it, he said we should raise money for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, as The Royal Marsden had given him years of extra life after his cancer diagnosis.

"The extra time Dad had meant he was able to be at my wedding, which will always be a special memory.”

Mr Bevan, a former Royal Marine, cited his father's adventurous spirit as inspiration.

"He was on treatment for eight years and made the most of the time – he wanted to grab the bull by its horns and just live life fully," he said.

"He climbed Himalayan peaks, sailed the Southern Ocean and cycled up mountains around the world. Bizarrely, having cancer gave him an extra zest for life."

The gruelling race begins in Whitehorse, the capital of northwest Canada's Yukon territory, and concluded at the Dalton Highway Bridge in Alaska.

Only 30 teams are permitted to participate each year.