Yahoo Sports Crew hope to go from 'zero to hero' in row quest
Four men are preparing to face huge waves and shark-infested waters as they row 3,000 miles (4,828km) across the Atlantic Ocean.
The World’s Toughest Row Challenge is billed as the ultimate test of endurance and adventure.
The group, from Teesside and Yorkshire, decided to sign up for the challenge to raise money for charity, despite never having rowed before.
Dean Fitzmaurice, 43, said: "We went on a 'learn to row' course last year and are hoping to go from zeros to heroes."
The men said the decision was made "after a few bottles of red wine" two years ago.
But they said they had been working tirelessly in the gym and on the water, and after a "long slog" were just keen to get going.
Teams are expected to row non-stop for 24 hours a day and will spend more than a month at sea.
They will set off from the Canary Islands on 12 December and aim to arrive in Antigua by the middle of January.
The men are raising money for Ronald McDonald House Charities, which provides accommodation for the families of sick children in hospital.
Mr Fitzmaurice, who lives in Yarm, Teesside, will be joined by Nick Perks, 51, Richard Hornsey, 41, and Matthew Pitchforth, 42.
The biggest challenges they anticipate include 35ft (10.6m) waves, sleep deprivation and marlins - fish which can spear through boats.
Mr Perks - who said he is often reminded he is the oldest member of the crew - said the race had given him a new sense of purpose.
"Like many middle-aged men, I'd become a bit of a couch potato," he said. "Go to work, get a shower, have something to eat and then sit and watch the telly.
"But this challenge has given me a new lease of life."
Each team will row in excess of 1.5 million oar strokes during the race, with the fastest once completing the challenge in 29 days, 14 hours and 34 minutes.
The team said the thought of raising money for people who needed it would keep them going.
Mr Fitzmaurice said a lot of families that used the houses had seriously or terminally ill children in hospital.
"However much pain we're in, however difficult it is to keep pushing on, it's never going to be as hard as it is for those families every single day," he said.
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