TWO personal trainers are hoping to show women that exercise is about more than burning calories by taking on an adventure challenge for charity.

Claire Gregory, 34, from Great Sankey and her business partner, 28-year-old Robyn Ablott, have been running the Female Fitness Academy for three years and regularly fundraise for women’s charities.

On September 3, the pair will be joined by two friends to take part in the Race the Sun challenge which involves setting off before sunrise on a cycling, hiking and canoeing challenge in the Lake District with the aim of finishing before sunset.

Claire said: “Each time we take on one of these challenges we try to do something we have never done before – something that none of us are really good at.

“It means we can all challenge ourselves a bit more and we have already learned so much.”

In preparation for the challenge, the group has been taking canoe lessons and will take part in St Rocco’s Dragon Race to practice their rowing technique.

Claire confessed that none of the team had tried rowing or canoeing before so they are learning a new skill.

She said: “We want to give our clients a chance to challenge themselves and a sense of achievement. We believe in exercise for empowering women and for greater confidence, not weight loss.

“They have said they would never put themselves in that situation and so it’s a massive sense of achievement.

“I know it sounds cheesy but anything is possible and you can achieve it if you challenge yourself.”

In the past, the pair have organised a cycle ride from London to Paris and trekked across the three peaks to raise money for charities that help new mothers.

Claire said the group faced challenges on both trips but believes it made them more resilient.

She said the group endured a ‘frightening’ storm when they climbed the three peaks and when they cycled to Paris, their support van broke down leaving them with little food and water.

The group spent 13 hours with just a small bottle of water and a packet of soft mints between them until they met an elderly Frenchman in a village.

She said: “We tried to use our GCSE French to explain that we hadn’t eaten and he made us ham sandwiches. I have never enjoyed a sandwich so much in my life!”

This year the women will be raising money for Action Medical Research for Children by cycling 50 miles, hiking to the summit of England’s second highest mountain, Helvellyn, and canoeing 3km across Lake Thirlmere.

Visit the fundraising page at action.org.uk/sponsor/wearewarriors.