A DETERMINED duo took on a gruelling challenge of swimming 13 bodies of water in the Lake District in three and a half days, and overcame a host of problems to succeed.

Danny Longman, 32, and Tom Elliott, 28, swam 13 publicly accessible lakes and added to their physical rigours by cycling from swim to swim, a test involving 44 miles of swimming and 165 miles of cycling.

Starting at the southern end of Ullswater and ending at Borran’s Park near Ambleside having swum Windermere, Longman completed the challenge, with Elliott, who unlike his coleague did not use a wetsuit and dressed in trunks, hat and goggles, falling just short after succumbing to cold on that last swim.

The pair battled through various setbacks, including a snapped bike chain and Longman having recently recovered from shoulder surgery, to set what they believed to be a new record.