Two young Edinburgh rugby players are rowing, cycling and running 360km in 24 hours in aid of Cancer Research UK - and you can see how they do on Zoom

Charlie Brett, 21, and Toby Gray, 17, are a few hours into the challenge which involves each of them rowing for 2km, running for 3km and cycling for 10km every hour, on the hour, and taking a short break to refuel before their next stint begins.

The pair, who live next door to each other in Colinton, have known each other for years and feel "confident" they can finish the epic fundraiser by the target time of 6am tomorrow - and people can see how they get on by joining a live Zoom link.

Toby's mother, Tracey Gray, said: "We're pretty confident they will finish as they've put lots of effort in, they are mentally well prepared for it and we have friends and family we have lost to cancer and they won't give up in the memory of these people.

The two young rugby players are taking on the 24-hour challenge in aid of Cancer Research UK.

"We are all really extremely proud of them and they have great dedication so we really hope people can help out."

Training hard

The pair have been training hard since the start of lockdown when they decided they had to focus on a new challenge for themselves.

Two weeks ago they completed 15 hours in preparation for the full 24-hour version which is taking place right now in Tracey's garage on some gym equipment.

They have raised over £7,000 so far and hope to hit the £10,000 mark in aid of Cancer Research UK.

Toby, who plays rugby at Merchiston Castle School, said: "We've been building up to this by training every day.

"Charlie and I are pretty much brothers, we've known each other our whole lives and he's pretty much family. We do everything together and we're confident we can do this. If we could push it to £10,000 that would be brilliant."

Charlie, who plays senior rugby for Currie RFC, said: "We've had really good support. The amount of money raised has gone up by about £1,000 in the last two hours - it's just crazy. I think we've both got the right mindset for this."

Tracey also said that charities generally have been faced with a difficult time during lockdown with less fundraising events, highlighting the importance of any money raised.

The pair aim to complete each segment of the challenge within about 40 minutes to give them some time to take on water and small amounts of food - like flapjacks and banana muffins - which will help keep them going through the night.

The humidity has also been making things trickier today but the rain forecast this afternoon will likely bring some reprieve.

The hardest part of the challenge is expected to be in the early hours, but Tracey believes if they make it to 6am with only a few hours left they will push through to the end.

Anyone who donates £100 or more to the cause will be in with a chance of winning a ‘dine at home for two’ experience from Edinburgh seafood restaurant Ondine, which Charlie's parents part own.

If you'd like to donate in aid of their 24-hour challenge visit the website HERE.

You can also join the Zoom live stream with ID number 2106146147.