A FOUR-man rowing crew from Mylor Bridge will test their endurance in a 24-hour rowathon in training for a fundraising challenge to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

Using a rowing machine, the Invictus Atlantic team will start rowing at 3pm on Friday and finish at 3pm on Saturday, to give spectators in Falmouth's Events Square a taste of the gruelling schedule they will face when they row 3,000 miles in December.

James Brittain-Long, Paul Hayes, Luke Morgan and David Radford-Wilson are taking part in The World's Toughest Row on December 12. The annual challenge will see 44 international rowing teams set off from La Gomera in the Canaries to Antigua in the Caribbean.

The fearless four will row in shifts of two hours on, two hours off, battling 40ft ocean waves and high winds. The journey is expected to take up to seven weeks in their 8.5m boat, with each man each consuming the daily calorie equivalent of 26 Mars bars. The rowathon will replicate their strict regime for 24 hours, without the 40ft waves.

All monies raised will be donated to the Invictus Trust mental health charity, set up in 2011 in memory of Truro teenager Ben Cowburn who took his own life after a period of mental illness. Invictus Atlantic funds, including sponsorship from local businesses such as Hayle-based Aspects Holidays, will support a counselling service for 11 to 21-year-olds launched earlier this year, enabling it to run for another 12 months with the aim of securing a permanently funded solution for Cornwall from NHS commissioners.

Skipper James Brittain-Long said: “Rowing across the Atlantic is one of the greatest challenges you can take on, but we’re doing this to support young people facing their own battles. We’re passionate about adolescent mental health in Cornwall, and Invictus Trust does incredible work to help young people get the support they need.”

The rowathon is the latest in a series of training challenges, including a series of overnight rows from the quartet’s home base at Mylor Bridge and an arduous four-day return journey to the Isles of Scilly in atrocious weather.

For more details, visit invictusatlantic.com