'Most painful challenge ever': Former Royal Marine climbs 42 fells barefoot

Matthew Disney chatting to ITV Granada's Rob Smith and shows his swollen feet

A former Royal Marine Commando from Preston has completed his most 'painful ever challenge' - walking 42 fells in the Lake District (that's 66 miles, ascending 26,900 ft) barefoot.

It's called the Bob Graham Round, after a hotelier (Bob Graham) from Keswick completed the 42 Lake District peaks in 24 hours on his 42nd birthday, unwittingly starting one of the great fell endurance challenges in Britain.

Matthew Disney, who goes by @DisneyRM online, completed his latest fundraising challenge in support of two charities close to his heart: The Royal Marines Association and Rock2Recovery. He called it his 'worst idea ever' and did it on his 38th birthday.

In a social media video at the end of his challenge he described the 'excruciating pain' of climbing almost the equivalent of Everest without shoes, and said it's a feeling 'you don't get numb to'.

So how did Matthew's feet take to all that climbing? Well, after 175,150 painful steps, he says he walked away with no injuries to his feet, apart from a small puncture wound from a thistle!

The Royal Marine veteran is no stranger to a challenge. In the last couple of years alone he's climbed a mountain in his front garden, and ascended Mont Blanc with a rowing machine on his back.

To find out more about the challenge and his fundraising efforts, click here