THE STRATHPUFFER 24 is the hardest mountain bike race in the world.

Some of the planet's best x-country riders compete to see how many times they can complete a horribly technical 7-mile track in 24 hours.

In northern Scotland.

In the first week of January.

In the dark.

Most people do it in shifts in teams of 2,3 or 4 - I'm going solo.

Can I do it?

Only one way to find out.

Every pedal stroke will be properly unpleasant, unrelenting and remorseless - but not as unpleasant, unrelenting and remorseless as those recovery steps taken by young Royal Marines who have been hideously injured in Afghanistan.

And there's one big difference between our respective challenges - I'll be whinging, whining and complaining all the way through mine. 

I'm raising money for HOW - or Help Our Wounded Commandos - who support injured marines through the RMCTF - the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund.

All money I raise - and I haven't set a target - will go towards injured commandos and their families.

Remember for every young soldier you read about who has died in an IED explosion - 3 or 4 others will have been horribly injured.

 I'm talking double and in some cases triple amputees.

These lads are 18,19, 20 years old and they need, no deserve, every bit of help we can give them.

I had the privilege of serving in the Royal Marines for 9 years before I became a journalist and I saw 1 operational tour in Bosnia, at the height of the Balkan conflict in the mid 90s.

I was based in East Mostar - known at the time as the UN's "Sh!t Hot Spot no1" - and was witness to some pretty horrible things during a 6-month stint.

In Helmand, our young commandos see the same amount of action I experienced in half a year, IN JUST ONE WEEK.

And some of them get very badly hurt doing it.

Let's help them.

I'm not doing a cushy parachute jump or seeing how many marshmallows I can eat in a day - I'm attempting something pretty horrible.

When you guys are tucked up in bed at 3am on Jan 8th next year, I'll be heading out in a snowstorm, on my Stumpy, riding on sheet ice trails, about 100 miles into the most horrific mountain bike race in the world.

THAT'S GOT TO BE WORTH A COUPLE OF QUID.

Links -

Strathpuffer race

Help Our Wounded

RMCTF