A Wellington Husband and wife team raised nearly £7,000 for charity after completing a mammoth endurance feat.

Stephen and Claire Ward set themselves a challenge to complete 10 marathons each while onboard a cruise to raise money for the RNLI.

The pair were aided in their efforts by guests and crew who took it upon themselves to travel the boat’s 30,828 miles by running, walking, swimming or cycling before the cruise finished in May.

The Around the World in 80 Days cruise follows the footsteps of fictional explorer, Phileas Fogg, the protagonist of the famous Jules Verne novel of the same name. He was known to have explored Europe, Egypt, India, Singapore, Japan, Hawaii, Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia and the Caribbean, so the cruise follows his footsteps as closely as possible.

Despite the planning, Stephen was unable to board the ship last-minute and could not join Claire onboard until they stopped in Acapulco. 

Claire said the cruise was a “once in a lifetime experience”, despite her husband’s partial absence. However, Stephen contributed as soon as he was able and was there to congratulate his wife on the finish line.

By the end of the 80 days, Claire had single-handedly smashed her goals and completed 24 marathons, mounting nearly 629 miles through a variety of different activities. 

Guests and staff completed laps of the deck and logged the distances travelled ashore as they explored exotic destinations. Altogether, they reached 34,849 miles in total, far exceeding their original target. 

With the help of the guests and the crew members, the couple were able to raise £6,618 for the lifeboat charity.

The RNLI is a charity very close to Claire and Stephen, having lost a close friend and avid RNLI supporter to cancer 18 months ago.

Jayne George, the Fundraising Director at the RNLI said: “The commitment of the RNLI supporters never ceases to amaze me.

“Fundraisers like these are the lifeblood of the RNLI – the money they raise powers our rescues on beaches and from lifeboat stations.”