Davina McCall completes 26-mile row across English Channel with a 'delirious' John Bishop
Last updated at 9:01 PM on 28th February 2012
Comedian John Bishop completed his grueling cross-Channel row tonight, despite becoming 'delirious' and nodding off during the journey.
Bishop, battling sleep deprivation and nursing crippling aches after the exhausting trip, now faces three marathons on consecutive days to finish his 285-mile triathlon from Paris to London for Sport Relief.
Bishop had managed the 26-mile row across the choppy English Channel on just one hour's sleep, after earlier completing a 185-mile cycle ride.
We did it! Denise Lewis, Freddie Flintoff, John Bishop and Davina McCall arriving at Dover Port after rowing the 26 miles from Calais
The draining tasks are part of Bishop's Week of Hell which the funnyman aims to complete in five days.
He and fellow rowers Davina McCall, Denise Lewis and Freddie Flintoff completed their crossing in seven hours and 45 minutes - almost two hours longer than expected.
Bishop was already in extreme pain after more than 18 hours in the saddle for the bike leg of the journey.
Still a long way to go! An exhausted John after completing the cycling leg of the triathlon, from Paris to Calais, early this morning
Relaxing time: John only got one hour's sleep before setting off on the row with the others
He was struggling to speak coherently during a live Radio 1 interview as he carved through the Channel today.
His trainer Professor Greg Whyte said the race was now on to get him back on form to begin his first marathon tomorrow.
He said: 'We need to try and negate the damage that the last two days have done.
'There's the muscle damage that both the ride and the row has caused, the big energy deficit that John has suffered and most importantly the massive sleep deprivation. We've only got 12 hours so we will do our best.'
Wish us luck: The group are taken out of Calais Harbour to their row boat at Sangate beach to complete the second leg of the challenge
You can do it! The group taking part in the rowing leg - John is aiming to complete a 285-mile cycle, row and run from Paris to London in five days
Speaking after he reached Dover, 45-year-old Bishop said: 'Yesterday's cycle was so difficult and long that it made the row today even harder than it already was. I was so tired out there that I actually fell asleep while I was rowing.
'I'd nod off for a split second, wake up and see two oars in the water. I was delirious after just having a single hour of sleep the night before - but that's why it's called the Week of Hell.
He added: 'I couldn't have picked a better trio to help me do it, they were amazing and never ever looked like stopping.'
A welcoming crowd: The group are cheered on as they arrive in Dover
Just three marathons to go: Davina and John elated after completing the row
McCall - who has previously taken part in Sport Relief's cycle ride along the length of Britain - said: 'That seemed to just go on and on.
'Our cox told us at the start that we'd be doing something like 10,000 strokes and it really felt like it.
'I've absolutely no idea how John did it, to row the channel after cycling almost 200 miles and only having one hour of sleep in between is astonishing.'
Their efforts have already raised more than £380,000 for Sport Relief.
If he manages to keep going, Bishop is expected to make it to Trafalgar Square in London on Friday.
The aim is to raise enough money to vaccinate 250,000 children in Africa, as well as help with projects in the UK.
It's all for charity: John doing the cycling leg yesterday
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